Kinetics
by fadetoblackened007
Summary: (Chapter 24:Turn, Turn, Turn) Inuyasha is the misfit of his class, and Kagome the most popular girl in school. Will fate bring them together, or will they be forever apart?
1. Privilege

A/N: Hiyo! I thought of this a few days ago when I pulled out an old CD. As I listened, the idea for this fic kinda just snuck up into my mind, and after a few days of thinking it over, I've decided to write it. So, sit back, relax, and take in the sweet sounds, because it's time for Track One of Make Yourself! ^.^

Disclaimer: Homey so hunngyy.... Homey have no money or rights to Inuyasha....

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Make Yourself

Track One: Privilege

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Isn't it strange that a gift could be an enemy   
Isn't it weird that a privilege could feel like a chore   
Maybe its me, but this line isn't going anywhere   
Maybe if we looked hard enough we could find a back door   
Find yourself a back door 

Inuyasha wandered the halls of his high school, only half-aware of what was going on around him. He had just loaded his favorite CD into his new MP3 player, and was focusing more on the sounds of Incubus than his surroundings. 

He was wearing a pair of regular fit Jeans and a black tee shirt, with an unbuttoned yellow and blue plaid dress shirt worn sloppily over it, as was his usual style. He wore a black cap, which the speakers of his headphones had been sewn into. It was a gift from his mother, so he could listen to his music and conceal his strange, dog-like ears.

Ahhh music. The one thing that gave him insight. The one thing that never looked down on him in any way. Music was probably the biggest thing in his life. He owed everything to it. Before music came along, we would run and cry at all the cat-calls and chantings of "Freak! Freak! Freak!", but that had changed, with music. He thought more on the effect music had on him as he switched over to his first favorite song ever. Make Yourself, by Incubus.

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I see you in line dragging your feet   
You have my sympathy   
The day you were born you were born free   
That is your privilege   


"Kagoomeeeeee!" squealed Sango, Kagome's best friend and partner through everything. 

"What is it, Sango?"

"What is it? We hardly saw each other all vacation!"

*sigh* "Yeah, that's true... I guess just didn't notice because of all the FUN I had the last few weeks at the BEACH!"

"Kagome! You're so mean!"

"Yeah, I know, and I can't wait 'til next summer, co'z you're coming with me!"

At this, both girls hugged each other. Friends forever.

Kagome was wearing a pale yellow sun-dress and unbuttoned blue sweater, with high heeled shoes and ankle socks. That's right folks, I'm sad to say it, but Kagome was popular. *Gasp!* Oh the horror! Not just that, but she just happened to be the most popular girl in the whole school, thank you very much, please proceed to kneel and beg for a date. 

Kagome was not surprised to hear laughter, along with the familiar chanting of "Freak! Freak!" She sighed. 'I wonder what happened to that loser this time?'

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Isn't it strange that the man standing in front of me   
Doesn't have a clue why he's waiting or what he's waiting for   
Maybe its me but I'm sick of wasting energy   
Maybe if I look in my heart, I can find a back a door   
Find yourself a back door   


"Give it back..." Inyasha growled threateningly at the moron in front of him.

"And what're ya gonna do if I don't? Huh, Freak?"

"You don't wanna find out..." he answered, in a slightly more menacing tone.

"Hey, check it out everybody, Freak here is gettin' mad!"

Inuyasha was angry. _Very _angry. Not because of the chanting, or the constant taunting, or his exposed ears. They had taken him out of his song. They should die.

"This is you're last chance to give it back." He stated, clearly, emphasizing the words "Last Chance" with a deadly, menacing glare.

"Ooooohhh, I'm so scared, Freaks threatening is sooooooo sccaaaaarryyyyyy!" the guy said sarcastically. He then grabbed a Zippo from his pocket and lit the hat on fire, throwing it to Inuyasha's feet pompously. "There ya go, I've returned it to you, in a condition more... fitting of someone like you!"

"Bad move" Inuyasha said, calmly, his eyes taking on a slightly purple tint. With no warning, Inuyasha dove at the man, and before the laughing moron could react, it was too late. Inuyasha caught him with an uppercut, and then roundhouse kicked his body into a wall as it flew through the air. 

He cracked his knuckles loudly. the hall had grown deadly silent. "Who's next?" He asked, his voice dripping malignance.

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I see you in line dragging your feet   
You have my sympathy   
The day you were born you were born free   
That is your   
That is your privilege   


"KOUUGAAA!!" Kagome screamed desperately, flinging herself at her boyfriends (*gag*) limp form. "Why'd you do this, you bastard?!" she shouted accusingly at Inuyasha, who ingored her completely and walked over to the remains of his hat. He bent down solemnly and gather up the charred remains. This wasn't his only one, but this one had been special. His mother had made it for him, a long, long time ago.

Sighing, he reached into his locker and grabbed another one. 'Sometimes I wonder what inspired her to make that thing...' he thought sadly. His mother had made it for him when he was a young child, before he even liked music... Before the accident....

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he slammed the new hat onto his head, plugged the cord into his MP3 player, and blasted the familiar sounds once again. He sighed loudly and turned to head towards his first class, but bumped into an angry little short girl in a yellow dress. He mumbled an apology and went to leave, when a sudden shove from behind sent him falling forwards. He felt a weight on his back and could faintly hear sobs over his music, matching the beat of fists on his back. He unceremoniously dumped the girl on the ground as he continued walking, recognizing her as the girlfriend of that bastard. He braced himself this time as he felt her lunge at him again, and grinned as she bounced off of him to hit the hard ground below. People could be such a nuisance.

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Find yourself a back door   
I see you in line dragging your feet   
You have my sympathy   
The day you were born you were born free   
That is your privilege   


'That BASTARD!' Kagome thought as she watched his retreating form. 'He sent Kouga to the hospital with a broken arm, and he doesn't even CARE! What an ASSHOLE!!'

Getting up shakily, she composed herself and ran to where the ambulance was taking her boyfriend away. She watched sadly as the ambulance drove out of sight, and made her way to her first period class. Trig. 1. Great. Just _perfect. _She got to sit in class and sigh while concepts totally missed her. And then get yelled at when the teacher asked her to solve a problem. What a great day.

She didn't know how great it truly was until she walked in five minutes later. 'Oh no, why did I have to be in class with _him. _That fucking LOSER!' She tore her eyes from the familiar hat and sat down moodily.

Thankfully, her best friend was also in that class. She sat down next to Sango and practically said "Comfort me! I'm in need!" as she wept on her friends shoulder.

All of this was noticed by a certain silver haired boy, who sat at the back of the class, with the volume of his headphones turned low so that he wouldn't get caught, and could still hear the teacher. He was naturally good in Math, and it seemed that the more advanced the class was supposed to be, the easier it was to him. He remembered how everyone would moan and groan about the difficulty of Geometry, while he just stood there smugly with his 105% average and laughed.

But now, his focus was disturbed by the sobbing of the girl. The sound of the sobs racking through her and the smell of her salty tears screamed at his senses. He hated it when girls cried, and for some reason, this girl appeared to be special somehow. He didn't quite know why, but the girl known as Kagome had always sparked a certain interest in him. He sometimes, before the Change, would think of the possibility of being in love. Now he just dismissed the idea completely. After all, feelings were for the weak. 

He scribbled down a short message on a piece of notebook paper and folded it neatly into a triangle, chucking it at the front wall and watching it bounce on to the girls desk, landing perfectly in the center. Oh yeah, Trig. was gonna be an easy class.

I see you in line dragging your feet   
You have my sympathy   


Kagome opened her diary to enter today's events before going to bed. The entry went something like this:

Dear Diary:

My life is so fucked up right now. Kouga, that unworthy bastard, dumped me when I went to visit him in the hospital. He said that if my old friends were gonna hurt him, he shouldn't be hanging around with him. What a selfish BASTARD! And anyway, me and that FREAK Inuyasha are NOT friends. my Mom just hired him as my Algebra 1 Tutor in 9th grade, I never, ya know, CARED about that loser. Sometimes though, I wonder how he goes on, you know, he hasn't got any friends, not even ONE! Doesn't he ever get lonely? Does he have any emotions at all? Ah well, it's not like I care or anything, I just get curious, y'know? Anywho, who needs an outcast like him when they've got a Sweet, Kind, Caring, and (hopefully) handsome Secret Admirer!? I found this note on my desk this morning in Trig. 1, right after aforementioned Loser beat the shit out of said Bastard, and it read: _Tears that stain a face so pure, wherever will you find your cure, when concerned with the heart, none can be sure, but when you find that which you seek, then turning your head towards the meek, you'll find the answer hard to speak, but I'll be waiting, always... _

How Romantic is **THAT?!** Sango was so jealous! And now I have a new mission in school... I swear, I will find out who wrote this poem, and I will let him know... I've fallen in love with a man with no face...

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The day you were born you were born free   
That is your   
That is your privilege

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So what do you think? Yeah, I know, the poem sucked, but I didn't even know there was going to BE a poem until after I started writing, and I think I did pretty good for my first actual poem. Anywho, Reviews are appreciated, criticism taken into consideration and flames used to toast the marshmallows for my s'mores ^.^

Poll:

Should I give Inuyasha a little outcast friend? If so, who should it be?

Yeah... make him hafta sit through Miroku's perverted thought and lectures on Women!

Hmm.... why not add the Kikyo Factor?

Why not give him a Naraku to play with?

But big-brother Sesshoumaru, I didn't MEAN to insult you, I just was commenting on how fluffy you're tail was!

Leave your answer in a review. Till next Track, Ja Ne!


	2. Misty Mountain Hop

A/N: YALLO! Sorry I've taken so long with this chapter, but I just couldn't find enough inspiration. I wanted to take this chapter to introduce most of the characters, but I dunno if I'll pull it off. Yeah, I'm the weird guy who types notes before he writes the chap. Oh well, there'll be more at the bottom.

Oh, and sorry if I forgot to mention in the last chapter, but not all the chapters will be songfics... few of them will be, actually. But, I draw all of my inspiration from music, so the track will always be named after the song that inspired it. (More on this at the bottom)

Disclaimer: They say that what you see is what you get... but if that were true, I would own Inuyasha (which I don't), and wouldn't hafta live in a cardboard box in my basement...

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Make Yourself (soon to be Kinetics!!)

Track 2: Misty Mountain Hop

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"I'm so poor..." said Miroku, reaching into his pocket in hopes to find a dollar for the vending machine. "It's so rare to find five bucks in my pocket that last time I did I was sent to guidance for my victory dance..."

"Yeah, well, in a bankrupt world what can we ask for?" Said Inuyasha, a very serious look in his face... 

"Yeah, well...." Miroku sighed... 

Miroku did a mini-victory dance after Inuyasha tossed him a quarter. "Arigatou!" He said, running off towards the vending machines. When he got there he was in for quite a sight.... quite a stupid one at that. Some huge gorilla of a moron had brought a velvet rope in to school and was blocking off the soda machine. As Miroku approached, the guys boom a loud "Hold it!" Miroku froze... from the sound of things, movement meant pain. "Sorry.... person.... but this machine is reserved for the cool kids... no.... uncool? .... people allowed."

Miroku stormed back over to where he and Inuyasha sat in the corner of the school cafeteria everyday. He was pissed, not only because he didn't get a soda, but there was ANOTHER person who hadn't known he existed, and had probably forgotten already. Miroku was an unknown in Eisenhower High, and how people managed to forget about him so quickly, he would never understand. He wore, almost everyday, Blue jeans, black shoes, and a dark purple or dark blue shirt. That seemed pretty normal to him. But he also wore a black leather trench coat. How the hell do you forget someone in a trench coat? It was mind-boggling. What bothered him more, was that his friend, received 90% of all the negative attention in the school, and yet no one knew about Miroku. He once came in nude under the trench, and flashed everyone and ran during a big lecture, and STILL no one knew who he was. This was frustrating him... that guy couldn't even remember if he was popular or not! What the hell is up with THAT?!

He stormed over to Inuyasha, and, anger overly present in his voice, shouted "Did we wake up in Russia this morning?!" 

Inuyasha's reply was an equally angry "No, in fact, we did NOT, wake up in Russia this morning!"

Together, the two of them stormed over to the gorilla-man, and Miroku shouted "hey let me tell you somethin', pal! You're proppin' up a dying system, man! You see some day soon, people are gonna wake up, and their gonna' realize that most of us don't fit into your Hollywood, Madison avenue, candy-coated idea of what's cool. And when they do, were gonna' rise up, were gonna put you on trial, and then were gonna' parade around town, with your head, ONNA STICK!"

The ape-man seemed bored by all of this. Sighing he said, "Righteous politcal outrage? C'mon what do you think this is, the seventies? And just who are you, anyway?"

"Damn. Oh well, it was worth a shot," said Miroku, shrugging off his defeat. "And the name's Miroku, so don't forget it."

Later on, when they had gotten back to their seats, Inuyasha looked over to Miroku. "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever told anybody your name." Suddenly things were all very clear to Miroku... Very clear indeed....

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'Pardon these interruptions, but will Inuyasha Takagami and Miroku Kenjishi please report to Mr. Kagewaki's office. Thank you.'

"I wonder what happened this time?" Asked Kagome as she and Sango made their way to Medieval Lit. 

"Apparently, Inuyasha and Miroku screamed at the bouncer during lunch.

"Oh... hey, who is Miroku, anyway?" 

"Oh, you know, he's the guy everyone pretends not to know just to piss him off. You know, the one who flashed everyone at that assembly last year?"

"Oh, right," Kagome shuttered. "Him. I didn't know he was friends with Inuyasha... I always thought Inuyasha had no friends..."

"Careful girl... you're starting to look like you have.... feelings.... for him..."

"Oh, come off it. I was only thinking, that the loser population of the school might be twice what I thought it was. I mean, if for every loser, there's a friend no one knows about, then.... *gulp* we could be in serious trouble..."

"Hah! You're kinda right though... there are a lot of people we don't know about in this school..." The girls were left in an awkward, uncomfortable silence as they made their way to Medieval Lit.

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"Afternoon Mr. Kagewaki," said Inuyasha as he sat down in the principal's office.

"What's it about today, Mr. Kagewaki?" asked Miroku dully.

"Gods, I see you guys enough to just have you call me Naraku," said the principal, sitting down behind his desk. 

"What the hell kinda name is Naraku?" asked Inuyasha.

"My parents were... very strange.." replied Naraku, the not-so-evil, kinda-good-guy-once-you-get-to-know-him principal of Eisenhower High.

"Well, remember, if you have any haunting past issues or incriminating evidence, you can always come to us," said Miroku, in the tones of a concerned friend. 

"Well..." Naraku began, "I think I started noticing when I wa- HEY! I'm not here to talk to you about my terrible, horrible childhood. I'm here to ask you what happened at lunch. So, what happened at lunch?" He finished with a stern gaze.

"Well, you see sir... I was complaining about being poor, and then Inu-san gave me money to go to the vending machine, but when I got there, King Kong was blocking my path with a velvet rope, so, I went back over to sit with Inu-san, we had a short conversation about Russia, and then explained to Mr. Kong the error of his ways," explained Miroku, an innocent gleam in his eyes.

"That's not quite the story I saw..." said Inuyasha, with a treacherous smirk. Miroku froze.

"Oh, and what exactly did you see, Mr. Takagami?"

"Pretty much the same, except he left out the bit about the soggy meatloaf." 

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Despite their best efforts, our Heroes had managed to get themselves each a two-day suspension. Ah well, two days to hang around in Inuyasha's basement all day, playing video games. Honestly, suspensions are the stupidest punishments ever. They were currently hunched over Inuyasha's computer, playing Medal of Honor: Allied Assault online. 

"Ooh! That hurts, pappy," said Inuyasha with a twinge of pain in his voice as the message "Sgt. DogBoy[MITA] was sniped in the ribs by ~*~Paprikka~*~" was displayed in red atop the screen. 

"No bueno," agreed Miroku. "Ooh! right there!' He said, pointing to an area of the screen where an unfortunate Nazi, Jew-hating, German-speaking mother F***er was about to be turned to shrapnel by Inuyasha's grenade.

The boys were having a jolly old time, when suddenly, the phone rang. (Inu has cable internet, k?) "Yeallo?" Inuyasha asked, putting the caller on speaker phone. Having dog ears on top of your head makes telephones pretty hard.

"Hello, is this the Takagami residence?" The voice was female.

"Yes it is, this is Inuyasha Takagami speaking."

"Oh good, just who I wanted to talk to. You might not remember me, but this is Kikyo Higurashi, you tutored my daughter a few years ago?"

"Oh yeah, I remember," said Inuyasha with a spark of interest. "Do you need anything?"

"Well, my daughter's History grades have dropped, and I was wondering if you would be interested in tutoring her again. Of course, there would be money involved as payment for your help..." She requested hopefully.

"Hmm, sounds good, when should I be there?"

"Oh, we'll work out scheduling later. I'll be calling you again soon, and thank you for agreeing to do this for me!" And with that she hung up.

"Hey Miroku, I think I'll be coming into the cash for Spearhead soon..."

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"WHAT?!?!" Kagome screamed when her mother broke the bad news, "No! I WON'T let him tutor me! You can't make me!"

"Yes I can," said Kikyo sweetly, "You know that new car you've been wanting? Well, I just got a raise, so, IF you can get good grades for the rest of the year, I might make room for it in my budget..." 

"Bribery.... Mom, you're so... so.... evil! FINE! But if any rumors start around school, I'll hate you forever!"

Kikyo smiled as she walked out of her daughter's room. Kagome reminded her of herself, when she was her age. And she thought that Inuyasha's tutoring would do her a whole world of good... and not just in History.

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Sesshoumaru Takagami was cleaning out his dorm room and packing away all of his possessions. He had just received his Masters degree in History, and was moving home... but he hadn't even spoken to anyone there in over 2 years, until yesterday. He wondered how his little brother would take the surprise.

What's more, he was wondering how he would tell his father the _other _good news... He smiled across the room to his fiancée, Rin Urushira. Oh yes... things would be interesting at home, indeed...

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A/N: Yeallo! Hey, spent two days writing this one, and all week planning it, so I hope it lived up to your expectations. A lot of my original plans for this fic have been thrown out the window, Including my idea for making it based on the album "Make Yourself" by Incubus. Instead, I'm going to just use an unspecified number of songs for inspiration (as demonstrated in this chapter though, not all chapters will be song fics). At the end of the fic, I'm going to make a mix CD/CD set, called Kinetics. As such, the title of this fic will be changed to Kinetics, on the next update. At the end, one lucky reviewer may have the chance to win the Kinetics CD, (either by mail, which I will pay for postage, or by receiving a .CDI or .ISO file sent by E-mail.) Pretty nifty, huh?

Notes Concerning Kikyo and Naraku: Weird. All my planning had been to make them the most popular people in school, but when I sat down to type, I decided to change that. I'm toying with a _really _good idea on the Kikyo angle, and Naraku.... eh, making him a semi-friendly character was done on a whim. I'm planning on making him an important figure in Inuyasha's life (maybe)

About Miroku: Fun, ne? I liked drawing up Miroku's character in this fic. I like to think I've taken a creative alternative to the whole Pervert cliché and done something truly original, so, I'm gonna give myself a big pat on the back. ^.^

Poll: Not really much of a poll, just wondering if anybody got the "What the hell kinda name is Naraku?" joke. The joke will be explained in the next chapter ^.^ Ja Ne!


	3. Blood Brothers

A/N: YAY! You like me... *sniff* You really like me! I was SoooOOOooo happy at the responses for the last chapter, I decided to get to work on another IMMEDIATELY. I have, like, little to no planning done for this chapter, so I can't really tell you much about it here at the top. Oh yes, the dreaded name change... I figured if I'm not gonna follow Make Yourself anymore, I should probably change the name of the fic, ne? Hope you guys will recognize it .

Anywho on with the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I am poor. Please don't sue me... I'm very attached to the lint in my pockets...

And now, to the fic!

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Kinetics (formerly Make Yourself):

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Track 3: Blood Brothers

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'Ring-ring, ring-ring'

"Hello?" Inuyasha answered on speaker phone.

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"Hel.... ca.... is.... father....." The voice of the caller couldn't be recognized through the static.

"What? Can you say that again? You're breaking up!"

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"Ca.... I.... speak...... fathe....."

"Sure, one second," Inuyasha said. He could just barely guess that the caller wanted to talk to his dad. He couldn't recognize the voice though...

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"Hello?" was the answer on the other end. Sesshoumaru recognized the voice as his younger brother's. Just as he was about to greet him, he an Rin's car entered a tunnel. Quick equation: Tunnel + Family Call = No Bueno. 

" **Hel**lo, this is Sesshoumaru **ca**lling, **is father **home?"

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"Wha... say... gain.... bre...ing up!" 

'Tunnels are evil...' though Sesshoumaru as he tried again. "**Ca**n **I** **speak **with **fathe**r?"

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"Sure...ne.. cond"

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"Hello?" asked Inuyasha's father, Inutaisho.

"_Hello father" _answered Sesshoumaru. Thank god he was out of that damned tunnel.

"Oh hello! It's you! I'd have thought Inuyasha would be excited to hear from you."

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"There was a lot of static a bit ago, I'm afraid he might not know who it is..."

"Oh, he'll know soon enough anyway," said Inutaisho, waving a dismissive hand at his curious son. Inuyasha just shrugged and walked downstairs.

"So how long until you arrive, son?"

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"That's why I called, dad. There was an accident a few miles back, and we were stuck there for hours. I'm afraid we're going to have to stay at a hotel tonight, only, I don't quite have the money..." 

"Ahh, so you need money for a hotel, then? No problem, just call me when you find a place and we'll handle things over the phone. But just what do you mean 'We'?" 

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"Ahh... we'll, you see Dad.... it's a surprise, you'll find out when we get there, love you, see you soon, call you later, bye!" 

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"-Call you later, bye!" Sesshoumaru finished hurriedly. He sighed with relief, - He'd almost let out his secret-, and smiled over to Rin, who was driving their small two door Honda Civic coupe. 

"Funny," said Rin, a smile playing at her lips, "But I don't seem to recall any accident."

"No... but... wouldn't you like some privacy as well tonight?"

Rin just grinned, and turned back to the road.

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"So who called?" asked Inuyasha 

"Oh, you'll find out tomorrow, son. I think you'll be glad, too"

"Whatever. Anyway, I've got a tutoring job today, so can I borrow the car?"

"Sure, son. Give Mrs. Higurashi my regards." 

"How did you-"

"You should turn down the volume on that phone."

"I guess so..." Inuyasha said, and walked out the door to the driveway. He got into his dad's car, a black Nissan Altima, and started to make the drive across town to the Higurashi's shrine home. Inuyasha was a smart kid in most of his subjects, and found it easy to make spare cash by tutoring. He as he drove the familiar streets of his small hometown, he let his mind wander to the past. Things he hardly remembered from a few years ago, that had no real affect on him. Then he remembered the note. 

'Shite! I wonder if she knows I wrote that...' He thought. After all, the next week (which he had been thankfully suspended from for breaking some moron's arm... not like it was _his _fault that people break so easy...) after she had gotten that note, she went on a school-wide hunt for the author (which made no sense to Inuyasha, because she could have just narrowed it down immediately to the Trig. 1 first period class. Ah well, popular people never were that intelligent). He imagined how awkward it would be if she did.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Daydream Sequence Commencing ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Kagome looked up boredly from her textbook. Dawning a seductive smile, she yawned and leaned on Inuyasha's shoulder, wrapping one arm around him. Inuyasha froze. "Uhh... err....yes, yes.... you got that one right, the answer was 'Yeeaaaaaaaaargh...' now, let move on to the next questio-" 

"Mngfh..." Kagome mumbled, half asleep...

"Or not...."

Jus then, the not-so-peaceful scene was interrupted by Kagome's mother, who, shocked and appaled, grabbed a broom and started whacking Inuyasha over the head. "No! But- I Didn't! Arrgh! Ow! That really hur- uh oh! No AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!" screamed Inuyasha as he ran away.

"Aww mom..." sighed Kagome dejectedly, "You've scared away another one!"

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He was taken abruptly from his reverie when he turned in to the Higurashi's driveway. Stepping out of the car, he waved to Kikyo Higurashi, who was in the garden having some tea. When he was much younger, back when he was in 6th grade, he had a crush on Mrs. Higurashi, when he saw her picking up Kagome after school. That had died long ago, but he still thought she had her own kind of beauty. Someone to be friends with... he didn't know how she could be the mother of the girl that practically ruined his high school life.

When Kikyo waved back, he began walked into the house. He greeted Kagome formally -can't let a grudge get in the way of business- and sneezed. Rubbing his nose furiously, he sneezed again. His eyes began to go bloodshot. It was then he noticed the large blob of cat sitting in Kagome's lap. 'Oh great,' thought Inuyasha, 'they got a cat.'

"Is something wrong? Would you like a glass of water?" asked Kagome. 

"Can we go somewhere else? I'm allergic *sneeze* to cats."

"Oh... oh! I'm so sorry, I hadn't even noticed!" she said apologetically as she scooted the cat off of her lap. "Come on, lets go outside." 

She picked up her books and headed towards the sliding door to the backyard. Inuyasha followed like an obedient puppy, desperately wanting to get out. As they stepped outside and his sinuses began to clear, he couldn't resist the urge any longer. He knew he'd scare away most of the neighbors, but what the hell, he'd have fun doing it. "SWEET MERCIFUL JESUS!" He screamed, "FREEDOM AT LAST!!"

Kagome had to hide her face as she stifled a giggle. If anyone ever caught her laughing at this freaks stupid jokes, her entire reputation would probably be down the drain. She already knew she'd have to explain herself like, a bazillion times tomorrow. 

Sitting down at a picnic table in the yard, Inuyasha asked his first question. Boy was it tough. "Okay, now, can you tell me, just exactly what are we studying in History."

"Uhh... I dunno... something about Nazis, I think..."

Inuyasha face-faulted. "Okay," he said, gathering himself, "Not a problem. I have a week to drill useless facts about specific battles of World War II into your brain for the mid-terms. Oh my god, I'm so screwed."

"What? Can't you do it?"

"A trained monkey could do it." said Inuyasha coolly.

"Well then what's the problem"

"The problem," he began, "lies in the facts that A). I'm am not a monkey, and B). I have no training."

"What, so you mean you can't help?"

"Oh I can help. Just don't expect to get much sleep for the next week. (A/N: You guys are all Perverts... with a capital P! ) And do try to pay attention in class. I _really _don't want to have to explain the political ideology to you as well."

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The next day, late in the afternoon, Sesshoumaru and Rin pulled into the driveway of Sesshoumaru's old home. He was only coming back to live here for a year or so, until he could afford a nice house for Rin and himself. And the way things were going for him, that time would come sooner than expected. But, now was not the time to fantasize about the future. Now was the time to hope his father didn't flip out and kill him.

'Funny...' thought Sesshoumaru. 'Dad's car isn't here... but he should have gotten home from work hours ago.'

They got out of the car and walked over to the kitchen door, finding it unlocked. Inside sat Inutaisho, sipping on coffee and reading the paper. He always did have a way of doing his daily activities backwards...

"Hello father," said Sesshoumaru warmly, "Where is Inuyasha?" 

"He's out on a tutoring job."

"Oh, I see... well, in that case, there's someone I'd like you to meet, father."

"Oh really now?" Inutaisho was genuinely curious. 'Maybe he's brought home a girl this time... god's, that'd be a first.'

Sesshoumaru went out to the car to get Rin. 'God I hope he doesn't kill me...'

"Well, milady," he said, offering his and as he helped Rin out of the vehicle. "Our time has come."

"Oh, lighten up, Fluffy," Rin said giggling at Sesshoumaru's reaction. "It's not like you're 17 or something, you're a man now, and you can do whatever you want."

"Somehow, your calling me Fluffy makes that hard to believe."

"And who is this lovely young lady?" asked Inutaisho as the entered. Inside he was doing cartwheels. 'I'm going to be a grandpa, I'm going to be a grandpa!' (A/N: O_o)

"Father, I'd like you to meet Rin... we've been dating for the past 2 and a half years..."

"Lovely!" said Inutaisho excitedly "When's the wedding?" he asked playfully, hoping, the evil ways that parents hope, to embarrass his son. The reaction he received was quite unexpected, though.

Sesshoumaru blushed furiously, "How... how did you know?" he asked.

"Oh.... oh dear.... Son, fetch me some water... I think I shall faint from joy!" Inutaisho said excitedly as he fell back in his chair. 

Sighing, Sesshoumaru did as he was told. 'I really did want to tell Inuyasha first...' he thought somewhat sadly.

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"Alright, now, I want you to repeat after me, okay?" Inuyasha explained to Kagome, "And try to write it down as we go."

"Okay!" she said, determined to show this arrogant son of a bitch that she wasn't as dumb as he thought she was. 

"'Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!'"

Kagome repeated and wrote, as she had been instructed. This was going to be easy! Then Inuyasha got tough. Real tough...

"'You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, towards which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.'"

"What?!" Kagome asked incredulously. "That's not fair! I can't remember all of that after hearing it just once!"

"Are you sure you belong in an Honors History course then? Because Mr. Toutousai goes a lot faster than that."

"Yeah, but he usually has a transparency on the board!"

"So?"

"Arrgh! Fine, we'll try again, but _please _try to go a little slower!"

"Actually, I've got to get home. But not to worry, I have a voice recording of General Eisenhower's speech here," he said as he pulled out a cassette and a piece of paper, "as long as study guide for tonight. I expect you to have all of this done for tomorrow." He said, getting up.

"But that's insane! No one can learn that much in one night!"

"I learned everything I know about World War II in a day, and it's not my fault you got behind and didn't think of tutoring until a week before Mid-terms," he said cockily as he walked around the house and to the car. On his way, he was stopped by Kikyo.

"You're being awfully hard on my daughter, aren't you?"

"Heh. She's stubborn as hell. She'll get all that done and more, if only just to prove me wrong." he said, and continued on his way. He wanted to get home in time to see who his father's visitor was.

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A smile appeared on Sesshoumaru's face (A/N: anyone else have trouble picturing that?) as they heard a car pulling in to the driveway. He was excited and anxious to see how his brother had grown. 

It was sad to say that Inuyasha didn't feel the same way when he saw the familiar car parked in the driveway. "Well," he said sourly as he entered the kitchen, finding everyone there waiting for him, "If it isn't Houdini himself. Tell me, where are you planning to disappear to next?" 

Ouch. That hurts. Sesshoumaru's smile faded, leaving an almost mournful look in it's place. He had no way to respond to that. He hadn't been expecting this.

"Well? Geez, you make me sick. I'll be in my room." And with that, Inuyasha angrily walked down the stairs to his basement residence.

"Well... Uhh... I'm sorry son... maybe I should talk to him..." offered Inutaisho uncomfortably.

"No. No, I think maybe I should try to explain..."

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'And if you're taking a walk through the garden of life,

what would you think, you'd expect, you would see?

Just like a mirror reflecting the moves of your life,

and in the river, reflections of me.

Just for a second a glimpse of my father, I see

and in a movement he beckons to me,

And in a moment the memories are all that remain, 

and all the wounds, are reopened, again

We're blood brothers! We're bloo-'

Inuyasha angrily turned the radio off. Jesus Christ, even his music was taunting him now. He couldn't believe that after three years absence, three years without a word except for a card at Christmas, hastily signed 'Merry Xmas, Sessh', after three fucking _years _of leaving him in the dark, alone, his brother thought he could just waltz back and everything could be happy-happy fun-fun.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Pleasegothefuckaway!"

"Sorry brother, not until I straighten a few things out."

Inuyasha snarled. 'Great,' he thought, 'It just had to be _him' _

"Inuyasha... Do you remember, when you were six and I twelve, do you remember the promise we made?"

Inuyasha keh-ed, and nodded. How could he forget...

"I came home all excited, because I thought I'd found a way to make us full brothers, instead of just half. God, I remember your face like it was yesterday. You're chubby cheeks were stretching with glee."

"Get to the point Sessh."

*sigh* "The point is, Inuyasha, that even though we haven't spoken in a while, even though I haven't exactly been a good one, we are still brothers. There's still a connection there, deeper than almost any other. Just think about that, and when you're ready to talk to me more, I'll be upstairs." And with that, Sesshy began to head upstairs, leaving Inuyasha to brood.

And brood he did. He let his mind wander back, to twelve years ago...

~*~Flashback~*~

A twelve year old Sesshoumaru ran into the house excitedly, waving a sheet of paper his friend had given him. He didn't stop to get a snack like he usually did. Today he had something more important to do.

He found his half brother, a six year old Inuyasha (A/N: Awwww....) watching some children's show in the living room. (A/N: C'mon guys, Über-Awwww...) "Sesshy!" He said, in the goofy over-excited tones of small children everywhere. "Sesshy's home, Sesshy's home!"

"C'mon, Inuyasha, I wanna show you sumthin'"

"Oooh!"

They made there kawaii little way down into the basement/bedroom that they shared at the time. They sat across from each other on Sesshoumaru's bed, and Sesshy had placed the paper between them.

"Okay, I'm gonna tell you something really cool and important, but you gotta promise that you're not gonna cry, no matter what, okay?"

"I dunno... what is it? Is it gonna hurt a lot?"

"Well, today, at school, one of my friends showed me a way to make us full brothers, instead of just half," Inuyasha's face brightened at his words, "but it's gonna hurt a little, so you gotta promise you're not gonna cry, okay?"

"Okay!" he answered with a determination only a child could muster.

"Okay, first, we gotta say this promise, but since you can't read yet, I'm gonna say it for both of us. then, we gotta pinky-swear on it, okay?" Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha for a confirmation, seeing his head nodding furiously.

"Okay. I do promise," he said, reading from the paper, "That we, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, will forever and ever, from this day on, be sworn brothers, no matter what!" He then extended his hand, with his pinky hooked outwards. Inuyasha's pint-sized-pinky hooked with his and the swore on it. 

"That didn't hurt at all, Sesshy..." began Inuyasha.

"We're not done yet though," he answered, producing a pin from somewhere in his pocket.

"Wh- What chya gonna d- do with that, Sesshy?" Inuyasha asked, his voice shaky from fear.

"C'mon now, you promised you weren't gonna cry. I'm just gonna poke your finger like this," he said, and demonstrated on his own finger, "and then we're gonna rub our fingers together, and we'll be brothers forever."

"Okay..." Inuyasha said, still a little uncertain. But, his resolve grew, and he became determined again, because he wanted nothing more than to be full brothers with Sesshoumaru.

The pin hurt a lot, but Inuyasha did as he promised and refused to cry. When they we're finished, Sesshoumaru took out two band-aids. 

"Do you want the red one or the blue one, brother?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Blue," answered Inuyasha happily. Finally, they were full brothers, and nothing would take that away.

~*~End Flashback~*~

Inuyasha sighed. So what if Sesshoumaru was right? That didn't mean he was gonna go rushing upstairs and apologize. Besides, he still wanted an answer. Why hadn't Sesshoumaru called at least once, in the past three years.

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Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was somewhat busy unpacking with Rin. This was the last night he'd see her for a while, because she was going home to live for a few months as well, and he had wanted things to go better. He sighed, hoping she didn't think he had a crazy family. 

Taking a break, Rin decided to try and strike up a conversation. "You know, when you told me your brother had a strong character, I didn't think it'd be quite that strong."

"Hnn... yeah, Inuyasha has one hell of a personality. He's got a strong will, and he's always a little bit cocky. What's more, he never, ever, admits defeat. We once went two months without talking to each other when he broke something, and the entire time he refused to take the blame, saying it was just an accident. I don't even remember what it was he broke anymore... I look up to him, in ways. He's a lot more sure of himself than me..."

"Yeah... two months over some toy or something. Almost seems as strange as three years..."

"Oh, come on. I thought I'd explained this to you before."

"I know, dear. But not even a phone call? You have to admit, that's a bit harsh, especially for someone his age. So when's he gonna take his hat off? I'm dying to see if you were telling the truth or not."

"Oh, don't be so light about that. It's been hard for him, his whole life, because of people making fun of him for that. It's the one thing he won't fight against, people taunting his ears. I think he's ashamed of them, although it's not his fault. It's just some genetic disorder that runs in the family, that's all. God, if I had to go through what he's been through, all for such a stupid thin as ears, I'd cave, I really would."

"Yeah... especially with no older brother to look out for you..."

"Alright! Okay, I was wrong, I shouldn't have left him in the dark for so long. But he needed to learn to look out for himself, needed to know that I wasn't always going to be there. I swear, if I knew he was gonna look at me the way he did today, I'd never have done it..."

"It's okay sweetie... He'll get over it... don't worry," Rin gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and got up to resume unpacking. 

"I love you, Rin..." said Sesshoumaru quietly, as he went over to help her, "swear to god, I love you with all my being." He planted a quick kiss on her lips before continuing to unpack.

"Sesshou..." came a voice from the door. Sesshoumaru looked up to find Inuyasha standing in the doorway, looking towards the floor, his face covered but the bill of his hat. 

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, "Rin, darling, do you think you could give me a few minutes alone, with my brother?"

"Sure," Rin smiled sweetly on got up to leave, knocking Inuyasha's hat off on her way out. "You know," she said sweetly as she looked his face over, "You're actually quite handsome." She handed him the hat and walked away, saying, "It really is a shame to keep them covered, seeing how cute they are." 

Inuyasha just ignored all of this, or at least pretended to ignore it. Deep down, part of him was smiling. "Sesshou.... why?" 

"Inuyasha..."

"Why did you leave me here? Alone? For three years... three years of hate and taunting... why Sesshou... why weren't you there to protect me?"

"Inuyasha..."

"You promised Sesshou... you said you'd look out for me... you promised!" Inuyasha had to fight off tears. How could his brother, his sworn brother, been so cold. So heartless. How could he not be there, when he was needed most.

"Inuyasha... I'm sorry... I really should have called... but you need to understand, although I went about it entirely the wrong way, I just wanted to help you. I wanted to help you understand that I wouldn't always be there when you need me, that I wouldn't always be able to fight your battles for you. I was wrong to leave when I did, I was wrong not to stay in touch, but please, please tell me I wasn't wrong to come back..."

Inuyasha let the tears flow freely now. "It really hurt you know. I thought you'd abandoned me. Thought you didn't want people to see you hanging around with a freak all of the time," he choked on a sob that was trying to escape, "It hurt so much thinking you didn't want to be my brother anymore..."

"Inuyasha... I'm sorry for putting you through that... I should have known you were still to young... oh, baby brother, can you ever forgive me?" 

"I've missed you so much," Inuyasha sobbed and embraced his brother in a tight hug.

"I've missed you too, Inuyasha. I know I screwed up, and I know it must have hurt more than I can imagine, but please, give me another chance. Let me be your brother again."

"Sesshou... you've always been my brother, and you always will be... I'm glad you're back Sesshou..."

"Thank you, Inuyasha... come on, tell me what's happened these past few years. I wanna know everything."

"Okay, Sesshou... but promise me something."

"What?"

Inuyasha extended a fully grown hand, with his pinky hooked outwards. "Promise me you won't be too far away. In case I really, really need you."

"I promise, Inu. I'll never leave you again."

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A/N: *Sniffle* I'm feeling sad now... Oh well, things are gonna get happier in the next chapter ^.^ Not many other important notes this time.

I just want to put in another segment of song that I couldn't work into the fic itself:

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There are times when I feel I'm afraid for the world   
There are times I'm ashamed of us all   
When you're floating on all the emotion you feel   
And reflecting the good and the bad 

Will we ever know what the answer to love really is?   
Can you really tell me what love is?   
Maybe all the things that you know that are precious to you   
Could be swept away by fate's own hand 

The song is Blood Brothers by Iron Maiden, a classic rock song.

Next Chapter: What is and What Should Never Be

Open-ended Poll: Who should be the main Villain in this story? I'm drawing nearer and nearer to the confrontation, and I haven't a clue who to make our heroes confront with @.@


	4. Dude Looks Like a Lady

A/N: Lucky lucky! I checked my E-mail for the first time this week, and guess who had his review alerts on? Happy happy! I'm glad to say that most of the reviews I got before evil, evil FF.net made me repost are saved! Happy Happy! Look forward to a response at the first Interlude, in about 2 or 3 chapters. Now, more about this chapter!

I know I told you guys that the next chapter would be "What is and What Should Never Be", but... I lied. Instead, while trying to plan What is and What Should Never Be, I came up with this nifty idea instead. Expect this to be short, funny, and to the point.

Disclaimer: Do I really hafta say it? *Sigh* I dun own anything. Everything here belongs to someone else, I'm just borrowin' it for a while, k?

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Kinetics

Track 4: Dude Looks Like a Lady

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Who was this new stranger? This tall, suave, debonair man, dressed in a white suit, who stole the hearts of every girl around. Who was this handsome stranger with hair as white as snow, and eyes the color of golden sunlight? 

From somewhere in the crowd, an excited girl screamed "Let me have you're children!!"

"I'm sorry," replied the stranger, "But I'm engaged"

At this, many of the girls in the crowd sighed. Who was the woman who was able to tame this stranger's wild heart, and give him reason to settle down?

Why was this man talking to that freak?

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"What the hell's all this fuss about?" asked Inuyasha angrily as he fought the flow of the crowd to get to his locker. "The hell man!?"

"Get outta my way, freak!" shouted an angry sounding girl. 

"Sweet merciful Jesus, what the hell's going on!?!"

"Ahh, brother, It's a good thing I found you!"

"Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha was confused. Was he the cause of all this? "What are you doing here?"

The crowd had gone silent. Why was this handsome stranger, this angel of a man, talking to such a freak. It did not make sense to them. Was that "Brother" that he had called him? But how could that be? How could someone so beautiful emerge from the same gene pool that that hideous freak had crawled out of? Why were they all beginning to doubt the hideous freaks hideousness?

"Heh, well, brother of mine... Sore wa himitsu desu!"

"What? Aww come on, just tell me!"

"Can't, you'll find out in History!" and with that, Sesshoumaru walked away.

The crowd was confused. What was it that the stranger had said? What is this foreign language that he had used? Surely it had been the language used by Gods and Demons alike, for the lowly being had understood. The crowd followed the man, as they would continue to do so until he answered some of their questions. The top being "Will you marry me?" The crowd was woman. Hear it roar.

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There was one woman in the building who was not following this angel of a man. Or at least, it seemed that way. This woman had a small crowd of her own. Surely she was the most beautiful sight that the men following her had seen. However, unbeknownst to them (but knownst to us!) This woman was a Man.

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Inuyasha was in a sour mood as he gathered his things for Trigonometry from his locker. He grabbed his things hastily, slamming his locker shut to find a beautiful maiden whom he had never seen before, looking somewhat out of breath, standing beside him. 

"Do I know you?" asked Inuyasha.

"Quick! We gotta hide somewhere! They're coming!" 

"Hey what's all this about!?" Inuyasha asked angrily after the woman led him into a supply closet.

"Inuyasha it's me, Miroku!" The voice certainly didn't sound female.

"What?"

The woman sigh, and removed her wig, revealing, indeed, a Miroku, Incognito.

"What the heel is this all about?" asked Inuyasha. He was confused. Dazed and Confused.

"I figured out that it couldn't have been the fact that I had never said my name that kept people from remembering me, on account of Roll Call in the mornings. So, I decided it was time to teach those bastards and bastardettes a few lessons. I'm starting with 'Never Judge a Book by it's Cover.' but I need you're help."

"Uh-uh, no way. I'm not going into the yearbook as Ziggy Stardust, got it!"

"No, no, I don't need you to do anything like that. In fact, I'd be surprised if they ever found out you did what I need you to. No, at lunch, I need you to go on a special Covert Ops mission for me."

"What is it, and how much trouble will I be in?"

"Here, you know the Intercom tap in Lecture Hall 1? I need you to sneak in, and hook up this cassette player at lunch, and press play. Then, just get you're ass out of there, and I'll do the rest, k?"

"I don't like the sound of this, but... whatever. I'll just not show up at lunch... i have a nasty feeling I won't wanna be there."

"I knew you were the man for this mission. Good luck, Takagami!"

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4th period History came around a lot faster that day. Maybe it was because of Sesshoumaru's mysterious appearance, but Inuyasha could have sworn after second period that they were on a half day schedule. 

As Inuyasha walked in to History, he saw Sesshoumaru studying one of the many posters of Dwight Eisenhower hanging on the wall's. Their teacher, Mr. Toutousai, was a WWII enthusiast, and it seemed almost ironic to many that he be a teacher in Eisenhower High School. 

Noticing Inuyasha's entrance, Sesshomaru glanced at him and gave a wave, smiling as he did so. All of the girls in the class swooned, including Kagome, who was about to push Inuyasha out of her way. He just shrugged and took his seat.

"Class! Class, I have some very important news," said the old Mr. Toutousai. As the class slowly came to attention, he began to drift off, until he felt a finger poke him in the sides. "Ahem, thank you, Sesshoumaru. Now class, I'm sorry to say this but I am very, very old. As such, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to retire. Class, I'd like you to meet my replacement, a former student of mine, Mr. Takagami." Toutousai stepped down and sat in the office chair behind his desk.

The class, as a whole, sans Inuyasha, gasped. Was it really possible that someone this handsome was related to the school looser?

"We'll, it's good to meet you, class. As I can see, you all must be wondering about something. Yes, it is true, Inuyasha Takagami is my younger brother. Now, with that out of the way, I'd like to explain my rules and procedures. Firstly, the first person to talk out of turn in this classroom will be sent home with a detention slip. Secondly, the first person caught chewing gum in my classroom will be stuck with clean up duties. Thirdly, don't expect any more transparencies. If I talk to fast for you, get a tape recorder, because I'm not going to make any exceptions. I expect this class to go smoothly, quietly, and under my total control."

"Oh come on," said Inuyasha, "You're acting like Hitler."

"Brava!"

"What?"

"You're the first person to get it all day," said Sesshoumaru, smirking.

The look of confusion slowly left Inuyasha's face, to be replaced with a smirk of his own, as he remembered what they were supposed to be studying today. "Excuse me," piped in a lost Kagome, "but I'm not quite following you."

"Class," said Sesshoumaru, "That display, a display of high expectations in a stressful environment, the display of unfair strictness, in a situation where total control was expected at all times, by one person, left you with a feeling of fear. I saw three people spit out gum, and several more sit up straighter. Take that fear, multiply it, and apply it to Germany, under the rule of Adolf Hitler, and you have every reason why the Nazis followed him. Class, welcome to your first Political Ideology lesson." Sesshoumaru grinned as the class, as a whole, recognized his scheme. Toutousai smiled in his chair. He had chosen a great successor indeed...

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Lunch rolled around and Inuyasha secretively made his way over to Lecture Hall 1. He he hooked up the machine, and stuck around only for a few seconds, as the full depths of Miroku's plan made it's way into his head. He was sure glad he hadn't planned on going to lunch.

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Meanwhile, even before the music had started, Miroku was up on one of the lunch tables, dancing. As the familiar chords met his ears, he began a little strip tease. 'I'm going to be suspended forever, and the name Ziggy Stardust will haunt me forever, but this will _so _be worth it!' He thought evilly.

Many of the schools guys had gathered around the table. Miroku noticed, with a slight joy, that all of them were "popular." Good, he could spare some of his fellow cynics from the horror. Most of those cynics were actually now mumbling about how corrupted the world was. 

Miroku took delight in the fact that no one was paying attention to the song. That or they were really stupid. The guys were beginning to grow rowdy, and a few catcalls were being issued. "Ohh let me see here," said Miroku in a feminine voice, and he began to read off the names and phone numbers of all the guys who had offered theirs to him. "Well, lets see what you guys are wanting!" he shouted

Men began to vomit as he pulled down his undergarments. 'Oh yeah,' thought Miroku, 'this was so worth it!' "Never judge a book by it's cover!" He screamed as he gathered his clothing and ran for it. as the song finished, a recording of Miroku's voice came over the intercom. 

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'Well, if all has gone according to plan, I've just made fools of 'A few good men'. Hehehe! Hope none of you part with THAT image for a long time, you womanizing, chauvinistic man-whores! Never judge a book by it's cover!' 

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A/N: Hehehe! Hope you liked, ne? I just was listening to the song and the idea popped into my head. Hehehe! Now that I've scarred you for life, here's some news! ^.^

I am planning to respond to most of my reviews, which were luckily saved, in a few chapters. I'm sorry for any inconvenience any of you may have found in the whole re-posting mess, but hey, shit happens, and I as more pissed than you anyway.

Poll: Along with last chapters poll, who should be the villain, I want to know what everybody's opinion of Sesshoumaru is? You think he's a good brother, bad brother, or something else? Just a little curious to see if I was able to convey the character I wanted to ^.^ Oh, and I really, _really, _need some suggestions for a villain. The only person I can think of that I haven't used is Kagura. On those lines, how many of you would like to see an original character as the villain? All I'm gonna tell you about the villain is that it's gonna be one of Inuyasha's classmates! ^.^


	5. Have a Cigar

A/N: Yeallo! It's me, back from... wherever I was before I came here. Anywho, after reading Greywolf's fic "Let the Music be Your Master", which is super-super-cool and you should all go read it, I was reminded of something semi-important. Where's Shippo? Well, read to find out!

Disclaimer: I'm too poor! =( 

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Kinetics:

Track 5: Have a Cigar

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Have a Cigar:

Come in here, dear boy,

Have a cigar, You're gonna go far,

You're gonna fly high,

You're never gonna die, 

you're gonna make it if you try,

they're gonna love you, 

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A young boy, no older than 16, wandered the halls of Eisenhower High, looking at a small piece of paper, and checking the numbers on the classroom doors. He sighed when he reached a door. "305," he said, and looked at his schedule for confirmation. Swallowing hard, he stepped up to the door and knocked softly.

Sesshoumaru paused his lesson and walked over to the door to see what this interruption was all about. He opened the door casually and stepped out to speak with the orange-haired boy he found waiting for him. "Yes?"

"He- hello, I'm a new student Shippou Murasame."

"Are you sure you have the right class?" Sesshoumaru asked, taking in the young man's boyish qualities.

The boy just nodded and handed Sesshoumaru a note. "Oh," said Sesshoumaru, "I see... well, let me introuduce you to the class. I'll be your teacher, Mr. Takagami, but most of my students just call me Shesshoumaru or Sesshy for short."

Shippou nodded and walked into the classroom behind Sesshoumaru. Surveying the room for an empty chair as Sesshoumaru called for the class's attention, he noticed one near a boy with long silver hair, wearing a red shirt and black denim jeans, and another boy with black hair, who was hidden in the folds of a long black trench coat. 

"Class," said Sesshoumaru, "This is Shippou. He is an advanced student, who recently moved here so that he could be put ahead a few grades." Shippou fought a sigh. Why did his mother insist on him being the best at everything? Why did she move him here, away from all of his friends, just so that he could skip a few lousy grades?

"Sir," came a feminine voice from somewhere near the front of the room. "If you want, I could accompany him for the day. You know, show him the ropes, that kind of thing?" The speaker was a beautiful girl with long black hair, and deep chocolate eyes. Shippou was in awe at her grace. 

"I think that'd be a wonderful idea, Kagome," said Sesshoumaru. "Manten, do you think you could take a different seat for today, so that Shippou and Kagome can get to know each other?"

Manten, the school's Goliath, got up and slowly made his way over to the only other open seats. 

"Well, if it isn't mister Kong himself," said Miroku cheekily as Manten took his seat.

"Any good sacrifices lately, o great one?" Inuyasha continued, a smooth yet mocking tone present in his voice.

"Why god?" Manten mumbled under his breath, "Why did you put me with these dorks?"

"Because god loves you, my son," butted Miroku, "Because he loves you."

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"Okay," said Kagome as she began touring the school with Shippou during lunch break, "We're going to tour the school, and I'll point out all of your classes, as well as some other important places, and if you have any questions, you just stop me and ask, okay?"

"O-okay," replied Shippou, unable to stop the stutter. Being around Kagome made him feel giddy inside, though he couldn't understand why.

A few minutes after they started, when everything was going well, Shippou suddenly pointed and asked, "Who are they?"

Following his finger, Kagome spotted Inuyasha and Miroku, busy goofing around as they cleaned out Miroku's locker. She sighed. "They're bad news. The one with black hair used to be the school's biggest nobody, but in the past three weeks he's become the school prankster. And his friend with the silver hair is the schools lowest scum, the very bottom of the social ladder, Inuyasha-The-Freak-Boy. He also happens to be my tutor... ick!"

"Why is he so bad?" Shippou asked, not being able to see any fault in the boy, at least appearance wise.

"He's violent, egotistical, mean, arrogant, and rude. And, under that hat, he hides these freakish dog-ears. It's unnatural... his mother must've been messed up in the head or something..." Kagome trailed off, noticing how Inuyasha had stiffened at her words. He couldn't have heard her, could he? No, no he was too far away... still, she felt kind of bad... what was that? No she didn't. Why would she, the goddess of the school, feel bad for that Freak?

Shippou, meanwhile, had gained a curious look. "Honto?" he asked amazedly.

"Yeah," Kagome answered, wondering why he was so worked up. 

"Sugoi!" Shippou said excitedly. If someone with dog-ears did exist, then maybe that old legend was true.

"Shh!" Kagome hushed him, "That's the absolute last thing you should ever say about him. If anyone else were here... you could be in big social trouble!"

Shippou considered her words. If this guy was really that bad, maybe he should be more careful around him. He didn't want to ruin his chances of making friends.

With a smile, Kagome took Shippou's hand in her own and continued the tour. Inuyasha "ked"-ed when the passed and slammed his locker, but Kagome took no notice. As the entered the stairwell, Kagome looked back at Shippou and said "I think you'll do very well in this school. Who knows, maybe someday you could be as popular as me!"

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Well I've always had a deep respect, and I mean that most sincere,

The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think, oh by the way,

Which one's Pink?

And did we tell you the name, of the game, boy?

We call it Riding the Gravy Train

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"Hey, Shippou, maybe you'd like to hang out with me after school? I mean, you'd be able to keep me company through Inu-Freak-Boy's tutoring."

"S-s-sure, responded Shippou, flustered. Had she really just asked him over to her house?

"Cool, you can go call your parents if you need to in the front Lobby. Inuyasha's brother Sesshoumaru gives us a ride to my house everyday, so we aren't in any rush."

"Sesshoumaru? Like, the history teacher?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Strange to think that he could have come from the same gene pool his freak brother crawled out of, isn't it?"

Shippou nodded, and went off to find the phones. His mom would be so proud to find that he had already made a new friend.

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"No. No, no, no. I don't wanna do it today Sessh. I'm not going, and you can't make me. I'll walk home if I have to, but I'm not going to."

"Brother, you can't just not go. You have a commitment to be there! There are days that I don't feel like coming in here, but I don't just avoid my job because of it!"

"I don't care," said Inuyasha flatly. "I don't like her, and I don't like her family, and I don't wanna tutor her anymore."

"Fine, but you've got to at least go today, and tell her mother that you wont be going anymore."

"I don't wanna."

"I'm afraid you have no choice, it's the polite thing to do. And, may I ask, what made you change your mind?"

"I'll tell you later... maybe..."

"Alright then, Little Brother. Now come on, we've got to go."

"Sessh?"

"Yes, Inu?"

"Don't call me Little."

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Inuyasha had to force himself not to sigh as he walked up the Higurashi driveway. He had thought things were going good, until today. Keh, shows how wrong he was.

"You guys go on inside, I need to talk to Mrs. Higurashi for a second," Inuyasha instructed as he made his way over to Kikyo's normal spot in the garden.

"Hello Inuyasha," she said courteously as he approched.

"Hello, Mrs. Higurashi. I have some bad news... you see, well, today is going to be the last day I can tutor your daughter..."

"Why?" asked Mrs. Higurashi. And just when things were starting to work out too... 

'Crap,' thought Inuyasha. He really didn't want to have to say what was on his mind. "Well..." he started, thinking of a quick excuse, "it's just that, you see, since I've started here, my own grades have started slipping, and I need some time to get myself caught up..."

"Oh... I understand," said Kikyo, not quite believing him, but deciding not to pry, "But please, if you ever reconsider, give me a call. Kagome really does need the help."

"Okay," Inuyasha said, feeling all of the built up tension inside of him disappear. Well, not quite _all _of it...

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__

We're just knocked out, we heard about the sellout,

You've gotta get an album out, you owe it to the people,

We're so happy we can't count,

Everybody else is just green,

Have you seen the chart?

It's a helluva start, it could be made into a monster,

if we all pull together as a team...

And did we tell you the name of the game, boy?

We call it Riding the Gravy Train...

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About a half hour into their study session, Kagome went to get everybody drinks. Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief. Just another hour and a half and he was free, free forever from the lie he had been living the past two months (A/N: For clarification, it's about the beginning of November right now.)

"Hello," the other kid suddenly squeaked from his seat across the round table they used for studying, "we never really met, I'm Shippou."

"Keh," Inuyasha replied, "I'm sure Kagome's told you just _everything _you need to know about me by now."

"Well, she did say some stuff about you when I asked but... well, I wasn't sure if you really were everything she said..."

"Yeah, well, if you take the time to look around and think, you'll find almost half the things she says about anything isn't true."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I like you kid," Inuyasha said, "so I'm gonna give you some advice. Don't get mixed in with her friends. Kagome might be an alright girl sometimes, but she hangs out with all the wrong people. And trust me, if they find any flaw in you, anything, they'll blow it in your face, and make it seem like a bigger deal, until you end up with me and Miroku at the bottom. And that's not the kind of pain you want to feel."

"Well, _I _think that Kagome is a nice girl, and I like her."

"Suit yourself kid," Inuyasha said off-handedly, "but don't say I didn't warn you."

Shippou sighed. So maybe things wouldn't be so great after all. And, unnoticed by anyone, his fluffy tail gave a faint twitch.

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A/N: Whatever could be in store for our young friend? And whats this? Inuyasha quit? Where is this story going! Well, don't you worry, I've got it all figure out here in my head! ^.^ And I know you were expecting What is and What Should Never Be, but, well... I promise it'll be right after the next chapter, k?

Also, if you like this story, you should really check out "Let the Music be Your Master," by Greywolf. It's great! My new favourite fic! And I've finally come up with a contest! so yay! Expect the winner of the Kinetics mix to be announced SOON!

Open-ended Poll: Does Anybody Remember Laughter?

That's all for this chapter! See you next time, in the Eagles classic "New Kid in Town". ^.^ Ja ne!


	6. New Kid in Town

A/N: Yo! I'm losing reviewers *sob* but whatever. The ones I have are all really cool and I thank you guys a bunch and I promise I won't get discouraged like with all my other fics . I'm gonna keep writing this one if it kills me! 

So, like yeah, another note, I hope you all will read or have read Greywolf's "Let The Music Be Your Master". It's like my favorite fic now, honestly.

This chapter will be very much along the lines of the last chapter, but not a songfic. It's still all about bringing Shippou in to the story, and I might try to fit in some more about the antagonist (notice I didn't say villain .). Those of you familiar with the Eagles can probably guess what this chapter is all about. ^.^

Disclaimer: Money is a thing that only rich people have.

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Kinetics:

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Track 6: New Kid in Town 

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Shippou smiled as he made his way over to his table for lunch. It had been a little over a week since he and his family had moved in, and he was fitting in rather well with his classmates, despite being two years younger than most. Still, sometimes he would start to feel paranoid about what Inuyasha had said to him, the words repeating in his head...

__

'Suit youself kid, but don't say I didn't warn you...' 

Blinking, Shippou glanced over at Inuyasha and his friend that he could only guess was Miroku. What would he know about it? I mean, he was practically the farthest thing from these people, what would he know about them?

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"Dude, I don't get punk rockers," said Inuyasha as he sat down next to Miroku (A/N: Sorry to punk fans, but this is something between me and a friend I just _had _to put in. Gomen!). "I mean, the music is all about government conspiracy, but, like, the Music industry is the farthest you can get from government besides cobbling, so what would they know about it? Plus it's all way too happy about it. Too much C major, not enough A minor*."

"I know what you mean. It's like, people will blindly follow trends just as sheep will blindly follow a shepherd. If the shepherd say punk is cool, the sheep just graze and try to "Baa" to the beat, failing miserably most of the time."

"It just makes no sense to me, you know? Music these days is taking a turn for the worse. Give me Zeppelin, give me Rush, hell, give me the Guess Who, but there's no way anyone could make me go to a Blink 182 concert and jump around with all the 12 year olds and their mommies."

"Heard, heard," said Miroku. He seemed a bit distracted. 

"Hey, what do you know about the new kid?" he suddenly asked Inuyasha. 

Our silver-haired hero sighed, and told him, "He's lonely, wants friends, he's an Idiot, and fairly good at hiding things from people."

"Not from you, though?"

"No. Not from me." 'It's impossible to hide things from me...'

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Kagome had decided not to attend lunch that day, as she had some serious thinking to do. 'Oh man, oh man oh man! There's no way I'll pass if this keeps up!'

She sighed as she looked down at the paper in her hands. Another F, her second since 'he' had stopped tutoring her. She sighed again. Somehow it seemed like it was more than that... almost like he was avoiding her altogether. 

She shook herself from this line of thought. What did it matter, he was just another nothing in the world... Somehow, though, she felt she would regret saying that... As time went on, it was becoming increasingly harder for her to convince herself of everything she knew about the world. She needed a security blanket like mofo right now, and was relieved when she spotted Sango, her best friend. 

"Sango! I need to talk to you!" 

"What's the problem, Kagome?"

"I just need you to help me with something. You see, recently... I don't know, I've been feeling kind of... sorry... you know, for Inuyasha..."

"Eep! Be careful where you're saying these things, Kagome, you never know who might hear you!"

"I know, I know, but I just need someone to re-assure me that he's really a bad person, you know. Like a doctor's second opinion..." she spoke, not once realizing the implications of referring to him as a disease.

"Well, he's obviously a freakish mutant. And remember when he beat up that senior last year?"

"Well... no, I don't. You know, I heard all about that... but I never actually saw the alleged victim."

"Be careful with words like alleged! You're making it sound like you don't believe the rumors!"

"But how can I believe them, really? I mean, they're just rumors, aren't they? I thought I heard someone say that the kid only moved away because of a scholarship."

"I can't believe it Kagome! You've joined the dark side!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Miroku as he turned a corner, Inuyasha following. 

"It means that if society were the Force, you guys would be all the evil!"

"Hmph, never though of it that way... Society like the force, eh?" mused Inuyasha, "So there's a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together... does that not also mean that your society is like duct-tape? The poor man's adhesive?"

"Ohhh, you guys are terrible!" Sango was fuming. How could these lowly nobody's have twisted her words like that! It was infuriating that these lowly, stupid-

"Sorry..."

Sango froze. A nervous smile tugged at her lips as she shakily turned to face her friend. "Wha-... what, Kagome?"

"I said I was sorry..." Kagome was having a hard time herself. What had caused that? They didn't deserve her respect... did they? This whole thing was getting pretty complicated...

"No problem..." she heard Inuyasha say, as he turned and walked away. At least he was gone now, and he wouldn't bother her... so why didn't she feel better?

"Sango..." she said, "I think we really need to hang out after school today. Really."

Sango just nodded and gulped. Her friend was in a more serious situation than she had thought...

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Shippou laughed as he departed from some of his new friends. Hanging around with Kagome had really helped his social status. He walked toward the front of the building to walk home, but stopped when he saw two people- he recognized them as student council members- Put a flyer up on the bulletin board in the Lobby. He smirked when he quietly read thenotice to himself. 

"After School dance social, Friday December 13. Students must arrive in pairs, heart mark. Heh, I wonder if Kagome's going with anybody?"

He felt his spirits lift as he continued on his way. Having nothing better to do, he thought about some fun pranks he'd like to play one the unsuspecting lower-classmen. And that's when it hit him.

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@.@ Time Warp! Friday: 

:yadirF !praW emiT @.@ 

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The school was buzzing already as more and more people arrived, filling the auditorium and leaving the teachers thankful for the invention of Advil. All but one anyway.

Sesshoumaru sighed. The Tylenol he had just wasn't cutting it. Then again, he was pretty sure nothing less than Morphine would get rid of his headache by the end of the night. God why did people have to be so noisy?

He sighed again as he saw Miroku and Inuyasha arguing with teacher at the door. "But it's a couples only dance!" the teacher argued.

"Well the flyer says that it's for _pairs! _And, there being two of us, we just happen to fit in that position!" Miroku argued back. It's a wonder he didn't choose to pursue a career in Law...

"Yeah, what he said!" Inuyasha yelled. Nothing better than outsmarting your teacher...

"Let the in..." said Sesshoumaru as he groaned his way over.

"You don't look too good... headache?" asked Miroku.

"Yeah... how do you guys stand it?" he said, as the violent waves of pain fluxuated.

"The secret," said Inuyasha, leaning in conspiratorially, "is to take 3 Advil half an hour before you go. And wear some nice earplugs."

Sesshoumaru just nodded his thanks and groaned away.

"Whatever," said Miroku, "C'mon, lets got raise some hell." Of course, by that he meant "Lets go sit around drinking soda and discussing the corrupted values of society, like we do everyday at lunch."

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Kagome smiled, her arm wrapped around Shippou's, who looked like he was about to explode from joy. He just couldn't believe he was here, with the most popular girl at his side, on a _date. _This kind of thing never would have happened at his old town. A lot of things never would have happened in his old town. He sighed, letting the visions come back to him... 

__

"Hey, where ya goin', freak? Gonna hide with your tail _between your legs? Huh?" _

He shuddered. So he hadn't told anyone that part yet, but still... his friends wouldn't walk out on him over something like that, would they? After they got to know him? And as hard as he tried to fight it, Inuyasha's warning rang in his ears again...

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Kouga was mad. Who was this little dweeb who had brought Kagome? After she refused him, when he had come crawling back to her, completely repent of his old ways. Well, maybe not crawling... and maybe not so repent either... but still, she had chosen this little orange-haired dork over Kouga? What a disgrace!

He glanced over at his own date. Of course Kagura had beauty, but somehow it was eerily similar to the beauty of a nuclear explosion, best seen on videotape a long way off and fifty years later. She also some weird vendetta against Kagome, always plotting the other girl's downfall.

She would be a perfect partner to help Kouga take his revenge...

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"Hey wanna see something funny?" Inuyasha asked Miroku, after their brief discussion on many small bloodsucking creatures (aka Politics) was finished. 

"Sure," he replied passively, paying more attention to the song playing over the speakers.

"Hey man, I like your hair!" Inuyasha called to Shippou.

"Really?" Shippou asked, cautiously sidling over to them, without drawing any attention to himself. Inuyasha had to hand it to him, this kid learned quick.

"Yeah, it's incendiary**" he said, a polite and friendly tone in his voice.

"Ha ha, very funny. " Shippou responded flatly. Did this guy really think he was that dumb?

"I have to say, I'm impressed. For the people you hang out with, you have enough intelligence to bring about the next Atom Bomb. Although no one is really sure if that'd be a good thing..."

He stopped when he noticed a familiar look settle on the kids face... one he knew very well himself. "Hey kid," he said apologetically, "listen, I don't really mean any of that. I'm just joking, you know, haha? I didn't really want to make you feel bad or anything..."

"No no, it's quite alright. After all, they did warn me about you..." Shippou said, his face lifting into a pleasant grin as he walked away.

"Heh, the nerve of some people. You try to apologize, and they have to be all _diplomatic _about it."

Miroku was still lost in the lyrics when his friend's voice reached his ears. He had a bad feeling that by the time this song was over, something bad was gonna happen...

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Kouga wasted no time when he saw Kagome break away from Shippou. He stealthily follower her away to the bathrooms, where he waited, planning like... well, honestly, like a small-minded voracious predator, or even closer, the IRS. Which just goes to show how evil you can be without planning.

As she walked back out on to the dance floor, he pursued like a P.I. in a bad movie. Which means that everyone around him noticed him, except for Kagome. 

"Care to dance?" he asked as he walked up to stand next to her.

"No thanks, I brought a date," she answered coldly.

"Oh, I'm sure he won't mind. He's probably off playing marbles with his friends somewhere." Kouga said, forcefully pulling her out onto the floor with him. 'Revenge is so sweet,' he thought...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Shippou was inwardly fuming as he went to find Kagome. That rat bastard, he was sneaky, making him doubt his friends and then making fun of him when he least expected it. What a jerk! 

He was angrier still when he found his date, dancing with one of the people that didn't take kindly to him. Kouga... that bastard, who did he think he was stealing his date... oh well, Kagome didn't seem to be enjoying herself too much, so maybe...

He was shocked. He was kissing her... and she was kissing him. And as the world around him began to fade, he felt a tugging, and then a loud sound, and then laughter. He snapped back to find himself trouser-less. 'Oh no!' he thought, 'not now!'

He turned to find a crowd of hysterics, all of whom he had once thought of as friends, laughing at his abnormal appendage. And his fluffy tail sagged in defeat, as he pulled up his pants and walked away, the familiar insults ringing in his ears. Only this time he wasn't imagining it.

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Inuyasha got up and dusted himself off, and then looked down on the stupid bitch who had panced Shippou. "Why did you do that?!" he fumed.

"So that Kagome's night would be ruined. Funny though, I didn't expect we'd have two freaks in the school..." Kagura smirked like she had just said something intelligent.

"You ignorant slut!" Miroku called as he walked to his friends side.

"Don't even bother, Miroku. She's not worth the oxygen. C'mon, let's go find the kid."

And Kagome watched this with a confused look and tears in her eyes. That bastard Kouga was a smooth talker, but he wouldn't get to her again. She would see to that. But why did Inuyasha just try to help Shippou? Could he have known? And why would mean, violent Inuyasha-the-freak care? Why was she questioning this again? Hadn't she just straightened herself out? Ye gods, where was Sango when you needed her?

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"How long have you known?" Shippou asked as Inuyasha and Miroku stepped out into the night air.

"Since I saw your pants wagging in Social Studies your first day."

"I shouldn't have listened to her, you know. I should have just gone straight to you, since we have common grounds and all."

"It's alright. It's not like yours was as obvious as mine. If you could have kept it up for another month, I daresay they wouldn't have cared."

"But you and i both know it's impossible to keep secrets long here, when you're in the spotlight." Miroku added, noticing a different feel in the air.

"So you're not angry that I ignored your advice?"

"Of course not. We're all allowed to be ignorant media-whores sometimes."

"You know, I probably deserved that. I was planning on pranking you big time in there."

"I know. Why else would anyone hide a box of milkbones in their trunk?"

"How did you?"

"The first thing people notice is his ears," said Miroku, "but very few ever get to learn about his nose."

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Time Warp!: Mid-Next Week!

!keeW txeN-diM :!praW emiT 

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"We need an anthem," Miroku said as he hopped into Inuyasha's Father's car. 

"Hmm..." Shippou pondered. "I wonder what would apply to us though? Certainly not Eye of the Tiger."

"Don't worry," Inuyasha said as he started the drive to the school, "I've already thought of that." He turned up the CD player.

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Oh baby this town rips the bones from your back,

it's a death trap, a suicide rap,

we gotta get out while we're still young...

The three boys smiled as they pulled into the parking lot, cranking the music and singing "Co'z tramps like us, baby we were born to run!"

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A/N: @.@ I know I know, Über Cliché. I had to do it though, I've been listening to that song all week! . Ah well, I promise, I'll never do anything that cheesy again, unless it's a romantic scene, where I can't make any promises. Anywho, give me feedback on the rest of the fic, because thats what I really wanted to write. Oh, and I kind of worked the Conflict in too (If you're not familiar with the Five C's of story development, and are interested in how it all works, let me know, and I might write 'Inuyasha's Guide to Better Ficwriting') 

*A minor is the key of almost every famous rock song. Stairway to Heaven and Change the World for example ^.^

** Incendiary: adj. Fiery or having likeness to flame. n. Any person who sets fire to a building or other valuable property with malicious intent. 

Poll: What are your suggestions to help make this story BETTER?

Ja minna!


	7. Going to California

A/N: Yo, it's me again, obviously. Nothing too special in this chapter, except of course...

I'M GOING TO SEE THE EAGLES! I'M GOING TO SEE THE EAGLES! YYAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!! ^.^

A friend and I are going to see the Eagles Farewell 1 tour in Boston at the Fleet center in July ^.^ I'm excited, and I can't wait, and it's cool! Well, that's enough gloating for now... ^.^ Sorry people, but you'd be excited too if you were me... 

Oh, and I know I promised "What is and What Should Never Be", but, it's not time yet. So, whatever, I'll get to it, eventually. Maybe. Bleh.

Anywho, in this chapter, things are gonna start happening, and the plot will thicken! Onward!

Oh, one more thing. I was re-reading the fic, and I noticed I forgot to specify a location -.- Ah well, I'm forgetful about that. Anywho, the fic takes place in a suburb of Boston, MA. Why the Japanese names and such? I dunno, co'z I felt like it....

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my Eagles tickets! Wee-hehehe!!

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Kinetics:

Track 7: Going to California

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No one moved. How could they? That had been the scariest experience of their life. Inuyasha slowly raised his arm to turn off the CD player. "Guys?" he questioned, his voice quivering, "did we really just do that?"

Shippou was the first to regain his composure. "Yes," he said, obviously quite flustered, "yes, I daresay we did. Oh my, oh my."

"I think," said Miroku, "That we should not listen to Bruce Springsteen in the car anymore..." His words came out as if he had just witnessed a medieval stoning.

"No anthems, then," said Inuyasha, the fear slowly subsiding...

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"Kagome!" Sango called when she saw her friend in the hallway.

"Sango," she replied, "what's happening?" Kagome saw Shippou enter the school with Inuyasha and Miroku, and a pang of guilt surged through her, but she decided to ignore it. Besides, he seemed happier now, right? So it all worked out okay... if only she could convince that little feeling of regret.

"Are you listening, Kagome?" Sango asked, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

"Nothing nothing, you'll find out in Entertaining Arts 1 anyway..." 

Kagome sighed. If there was any one class she hated, not matter what grades she got, no matter what it was about, it was EA1. It was the only class she had taken that had NO ONE cool in it. She had no one to talk to for an hour and a half everyday... poor lonely thing... (A/N: yeah right, -.-) Although she and Sango had signed up to be in the class together, fate had separated them, and Kagome only saw Sango leaving EA1 while she was entering. Damn.

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"Hey, did you hear the rumors..." Inuyasha blocked the sound off there, knowing what to expect. He hated how people gossiped about every little thing in the school, he in particular. 

"The first thing you need to know," he said, turning to Shippou, "is how to tell one of us from one of them."

"What exactly do you mean, one of us?"

"He means," said Miroku matter-of-factly, "That you need to be able to tell the Jocks and Cheerleaders from the realistic people."

"Well put," complimented Inuyasha, "You see, in this school, there are basically two types of people. The popular ones, and the ones who are going to college. The popular ones have everything now, and they have all the fun and all the specialty rights to everything, and they're the oppressors. However, the ones who are going to college are secure in the fact that some day, their oppressors will be asking them if they want fries."

"I see," said Shippou, a mock-interest plastered on his voice. He had seen the actual purpose of this conversation as they had passed a group of gossiping guys who turned to hear Inuyasha's speech.

"You catch on quickly, my student," said Inuyasha as he picked up the tone of Shippou's voice.

"Aye, he'll make a fine companion indeed," said Miroku. 

"Nevertheless, I think it's time you met one of our friends in high places." Inuyasha continued, walking in the direction of the office of the school's principal. 

"Yo!," said Miroku obnoxiously loudly as he stepped in the door. "How're things today, Narky? Ready to talk to us about your childhood?"

"What are you two doing here? School hasn't even started yet!"

"I'm hurt." said Inuyasha mockingly. "We just came by to introduce our new friend Shippou, and you get all accusational. I thought we were friends," Inuyashe let a mock-hurt enter his tone as he sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"God not another one."

"What's the matter, Narky? Haunting visions again?"

"That's none of your business, Miroku!"

"Well, whenever you feel loose enough to talk, we'll always be there to listen."

"Listen my ass..." Naraku mumbled as he went back to his work, which consisted of sitting around looking busy all day and signing flyers that were to be run off for everyone in the school.

"Well, anyway, back to the reason we came here. You see, our good buddy Shippou here is having some trouble with the current locker assignments, i.e., his locker isn't next to ours," Inuyasha said, the most creepily lawyer-like tone you could ever imagine. Kowaii... o.o

"Oh, so you want to move his locker, do you? Meh, whatever." 

"Sir, thank you, sir!" said Shippou in a respective, almost militaristic tone.

"Used to authority, is he?" Naraku asked suspiciously.

"Oh, well have that changed by next week," said Miroku boredly.

"Well, yeah, thanks, and we'll see you later," said Inuyasha as he started walking to his next class, Shippou and Miroku following. 

"No problem," Naraku called after them. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he mumbled to himself, "God I'm so terribly lonely..."

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"Attention class, attention please!" called Mr. Myouga. "I have some very exciting news for you today!"

The class slowly quieted down as he said this. When he was sure he had the attention of the class, he began again, "Class, I have some very good news for you today. The school board has responded to my requests, and has actually put aside part of the budget to allow me to take my Senior classes an a trip to California, to go to the Warner Brothers lots and see some of the various other sites."

By the time he was half finished with the word California, the class was buzzing again, this time with excitement. And in her seat in the front-left corner of the room, Kagome suddenly felt more and more alone... poor thing... (A/N: you know I'm being sarcastic right? Lolz, no, seriously, there are going to be a few very important notes about Kagome at the bottom, because of the common question I keep getting in my reviews: Why is Kagome such a bitch?)

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"Nice!" Inuyasha said, walking out of his EA1 class with Miroku and Shippou in tow. Naraku had been nice enough to see to it that Shippou's schedule could be changed. Isn't that nice?

"'Spent my days with a woman unkind, smoked my stuff and drank, all my wine,'" Miroku said, quoting Zeppelin.

Picking up where Miroku left off, Inuyasha began to sing, in a very melodious voice, "'Made up my mind, gonna make a new start, goin' to California with an aching, In my heart,'"

Shippou, not wanting to be left out, continued, "'Someone told me there's a girl out there, with love in her eyes and flowers, in her hair,'"

"So the young learner is wisened in the ways of music? Nice..." Inuyasha said, before continuing, in unison with Miroku and Shippou, "'Took my chances on a big jet plane, never let 'em tell you that they're aa-a-aalll the same, oh, the sea was red and the sky as grey, wondered how tomorrow, could ever follow today...'"

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Kagome sighed as three familiar voices hit her ears, singing in almost prefect harmony, "'I'll find the queen, without a king, they say she plays guitar and crys, and sings, la-la-laa-la.'"

"Will you dorks knock that out! It's not like the hallway is a private studio or something!"

They just ignored her, continuing, "Standing on the heel of my mountain of dreams, telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems, oh no no..."

'And to think I felt sorry for them once...' Kagome thought bitterly. Deep down though, that annoying little feeling of regret would not go away...

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__

Time Warp!: Later!

(Not in the mood to write it backwards today! @.@)

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Inuyasha sighed as he climbed onto the bus that would take them to the airport. He couldn't believe some of the kids who were taking EA1. 'Prolly just because it's and easy Art credit... keh!'

He sighed as he noticed his long-time antagonist and rival, Kouga, sitting in the back of the bus and talking to the many girls who were swooning at him. The sight made Inuyasha sick. 'What a stupid man-whore,' he thought as he sat down in the second seat back, Shippou and Miroku taking the two seats next to him. (A/N: by bus I meant like a motor-coach, not a school bus, so there are three comfy seats on either side of the aisle for each row ^.^ I like motor-coaches!)

"Yay," said Miroku sarcastically, "Another hour and a half of bus-songs. Funny, but I'd actually thought they'd be over that by high school..."

"Yeah, well, I'm so sorry for you, but I've got some serious listening to do."

"Hey, you know what Mr. Myouga said! You'll be in deep shit if he finds you with a CD player on the bus!"

"Yeah, well, firstly, it's an MP3 player, so my mad lawyering skillz can be put to good use, and secondly," he said, adjusting his hat meaningfully, "Who's gonna notice?"

"Oh no you don't," said Miroku as he reached over and snatched Inuyasha'a hat. "If we have to sit through this hell you can be damn-well sure that you will too!"

"You know you're just paving the way for me to get back at you with an elaborate and well thought out plan of revenge." said Inuyasha calmly as he reached over Shippou to try and swipe back his hat.

"I know, but for know, I think it's worth it."

"As long as they don't sing Queen, I think I'll be alright..." Inuyasha said, jinxing the whole thing, of course, as the familiar beat filled the bus.

"Ye gods..." Shippou mumbled as the bus rolled out.

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A/N: Well, thats all for now really... I kinda wanted to write another part in, but it's been a few days since I've updated (blame it on my out-of-townliness), so I want to get this out. It really doesn't matter too much which chapter I put it in, and it probably actually makes more sense to put it in the next. Ah well.

Expect "Hotel California" in a few days, as well as a rating change (upping it to R... good reasons, good reasons) and the first Interlude/Review Response

No poll today... sigh...

Ja Ne!


	8. Hotel California

a/n: Yo! Sorry it took so long, but I've been kinda busy with schoolwork and stuffs. Still more good new this time too ^.^ As I'm sure none of you knew, on account of me never, actually, quote-unquote "telling" you, I am an amateur bassist, still taking lessons, but more in theory and reading music than actually playing the bass, which I do quite well. Anywho, the place where I take lessons is holding a Spring/Summer recital for their advanced students soon, and I've been invited to play a few songs ^.^ I was at the wintrer one, and I was there when they planned the spring one, and I suggested like 4 of the songs on the list, but, hey, I can still be flattered/excited, ne? ^.^

Glee! So on with the story... Right. I'm sure a few of you were asking why I would have to up the rating after reading the last chapter. Well, the reason is, when I was re-reading some of the fic, I noticed that I had made Miroku and Inuyasha seem like they were the complete good guys, no flaws, no error, nothing. That ain't cool man. It's an unsung cliché, and I don't like it. So, like, I wanted to make sure that I showed their negative side too... and it's pretty bad, but alright through certain logical processes. You'll see what I mean later.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything...

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Kinetics:

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Track 8: Hotel California

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"Yay me!" Shippou yelled as he broke another record on the ancient Pac Man machine. Inuyasha snorted. Why'd the damned flight have to be delayed? Stupid weather, prolly wasn't even gonna be as bad as they thought. 

"Hey man," Miroku said, turning from his fries to face Shippou, "You should be careful. Otherwise, you'll waste all your money on your addiction, and when we're in Cali, sipping tequilas and watching the sunrise (A/N: that was a bad one, XD) , you'll be left in the streets in rags with a styrofoam cup."

Shippou laughed at first. It wasn't until later, on the plane, that he thought about what he had said. _'Sipping tequilas.... that was just a joke... right?'_

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Kagome giggled as she opened the door to she and Sango's hotel room. She had gotten so lucky with the room assignments. She didn't doubt that Myouga, the kind soul that he was, had meant for that.

So here she was, for a week, in California, with her best friend. This was the best thing to come out of EA1 all year. And, with Christmas break awaiting their arrival, her schedule seemed to be in an unstoppable charge of holy-goodness. 

She smirked at her friend, who was settling in to the room. "So, since Mr. Myouga gave us an 11:00 pm curfew, what do you wanna do?" She asked.

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"Go clubbing 'til one!" almost-shouted Miroku. Shippou was lost. Did they really intend on going out past the curfew? 

"Excuse me..." he interjected shyly, "but was that supposed to be a joke?" Miroku stared as though Shippou had grown an extra head.

Inuyasha sighed. Rubbing his temples, he walked over and sat next to Shippou on the bed. "Hey, kid," he said, gruffly but with a sort of concern present, "this is a side of us that few people even care to ever learn about. Miroku and I... we aren't exactly the perfect innocence. We have our flaws, and trust me, they're big ones. But what makes us better than others," he said, as though the word better were some sort of curse, "is these three things. Self-control, responsibility, and, can you guess this one?"

"Acceptance," said Shippou. It was an almost-automatic reply.

"Exactly. Now," he glanced at Miroku, then back down to Shippou, "I'm not asking you to join us. In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't. You don't have to come with us. All I have to ask, is that you can accept us with all of our flaws."

"No problem," said Shippou. 

"And, what I said earlier, about us being better..." Inuyasha said, an almost-hesitation in his voice, "It's not really true... we're no better than anyone, we're just... more human, I guess you could say."

"Alrighty," Miroku said, signaling that the worst was over. It was obviously an uncomfortable subject for him... though Shippou couldn't begin to guess why.

"Alright. Now, are you sure you're alright with that? If not, we'll just stay here. As long as you know we're not perfect, and it's alright with you."

"Nah, go ahead man. I'll just stay here and check out what's on TV or something. You guys go have fun," Shippou said. He was a little curious about what some of their other habits could be, but other than that he was alright with it.

"Alright." Inuyasha said, as he started getting ready to leave. 

As they were on their way out, Miroku turned "Hey," he said, a joking tone already apparent in his deep velvety voice, "Be good, and maybe we'll bring home some good old fashioned adult entertainment. ^.^" And with that, he turned to go.

"You know," Inuyasha said as they walked down the street, "It's people like him who assure me that there's hope for the future. So innocent..."

"I know," said Miroku, absently rubbing his right forearm, "I know..."

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"So where do you wanna go first?" Kagome asked as she turned to look at Sango.

"Hmm... why not... that place!" she said, pointing to a brightly lit building down the street.

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"Sounds good to me," Inuyasha said impassively as the made their way toward the building. 

"Okay, you ready?"

"I dunno, we haven't done this in a while, I think my routine's definitely a little rusty."

"Care to risk it?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Alrighty then," Miroku said affirmatively, and they walked over to the club's bouncer. "Hey," he said to they burly guy.

"Yo, I need to see some Identification, please," said the guy. He seemed to be the kind of person who looked tough, but was a pretty amiable guy at heart.

"No problem sir," Miroku said, handing him a fake ID, and Inuyasha did the same.

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From there is was the same old routine. He asked the girls questions about birth dates and stuff, and they answered convincingly. After about 2 and a half minutes, they were in.

Quickly scanning the crowd, Sango noticed a few familiar faces. Like Kouga, who was in the corner, playing cards and drinking with some buddies. 

"Huh?" she heard Kagome say behind her. "What are they doing here?"

Following her friend's gaze, she spotted the stooges, sans Shippou. _'Prolly too young looking to get in,' _she thought.

"I hope they don't mess with anybody tonight..." Kagome said as she slid into a seat. The club was just a small time joint, with music and drinks, and a hazy atmosphere. She noticed a small karaoke stage set up in one corner of the place.

She heard Sango giggle in delight, and turned her attention to the pamphlet she was reading.

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"Hn? oh, karaoke starts in half an hour ^.^"

__

'Yippie...' Kagome thought, _'musical torture...'_

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"Damnit! Of all the clubs in town, you pick the one with a... a... a damned musical torture device!"

"Oh, c'mon Inu-baby, it'll be fun," Miroku said, adding a joking lisp to his voice.

"Eeeeewwwwwwww...." Inuyasha said, peeling Miroku's arm off of his.

"I'm just joking, man," he said.

"I know... but you've got mustard all on your sleeve,' he said.

"What! Nooooo! This is an expensive coat!" Miroku nearly flipped checking his sleeve a thousand times. "Where? Where?!"

"Hehe, somewhere above the shoulder and below the elbow."

"Why you stupid little..." Miroku said, letting the idle threats hang a moment.

They would have continued their little conversation, if it hadn't been for the lady who walked onto the karaoke stage and called for everyone's attention. they barely cared, and watched with loose interest as a guy the recognized immediately as Kouga, Inuyasha's long time rival, and the only one so far who was stupid enough to confront him physically more than once. He flipped through the book quickly, and settled on a song with no relation to his life and no relevance to him at all.

As the familiar chords of Hotel California hit his ears, Inuyasha felt a surge of anger. Who was this idiot? Why would he sing Hotel California, a song about the decadence of California in the 70's, a decadence that had since spread through the rest of the world, it seemed. It was obvious that this moron knew nothing of the meaning, just the words. He became more and more angry as the song went on, cursing the idiocy of the situation. He was butchering a masterpiece. 

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Despite the song, Kagome felt pretty awkward at the moment. Where she would normally be enjoying the music, now she was confused and... angry? She turned quickly, and for a brief second imagine a dark black aura emanating from someone... Taking a closer look, it turned out that the owner of the aura was none other than Inuyasha... and now she felt a sort of guilt, although why she would never understand. And, deep down, a voice spoke to her unconscious mind, saying, "Time to wake up now..."

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At last that dolt was finished, and Miroku could take the stage for a _real_ karaoke song. A song with litttle to no meaning to butcher, but still a cool song to sing.

Miroku could feel his friend's tension ease as the familiar chords filled the room. From somewhere in the audience, he heard a familiar voice, probably Kouga, call "loser!"

But that wasn't his purpose now. He was here for one reason, and for the next 4 minutes, that purpose would the only thing on his mind. He started to sing:

__

It's been a long time since that Rock and Roll,

It's been a long time since I did the Stroll,

Oh, let me get it back, let me get it back,

let me get it back, baby where I come from,

It's been a long time, been a long time,   
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time. Yes it has.   


Oh, it's been a long time since the book of Love,

I can't stand the tears of a life with no love,

Here, he shot an unintentional glance at Sango. He hadn't even noticed her since they entered, and was surprised to find that she had blushed at his gaze. However, this only lasted a second, as he continued.

__

Carry me back, carry me back,   
Carry me back, baby, where I come from.   
It's been a long time, been a long time,   
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.   


Seems so long since we walked in the moonlight,   
Making vows that just can't work right.   
Open your arms, opens your arms,   
Open your arms, baby, let my love come running in.   
It's been a long time, been a long time,   
Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.  


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Shock. Surprise. Curiosity. These were the feelings Kagome experienced when she saw the blush creeping onto her friend's face. _'So they wanna play a little game, do they?' _she thought wryly.

Stepping up onto the stage, she flipped through the book a few times, until settling on a song that she deemed appropriate. She began (sans choir): 

__

I saw her today at the reception  
A glass of wine in her hand  
I knew she was gonna meet her connection,  
At her feet was her foot-loose man. 

And you can't always get what you want,  
Honey, you can't always get what you want  
You can't always get what you want  
But if you try sometime, yeah,  
You just might find you get what you need! 

We went down to the demonstration to get our fair share of abuse,  
Singing, "We gonna vent our frustration"  
If we don't we'll blow a fifty amp fuse  
So, I went to the Chelsea Drugstore to get your prescription filled  
I was standing in line with my friend, Mr. Jimmy  
And man, did he look pretty ill  
We decided that we would have a soda,  
My fav'rite flavor was cherry red  
I sing this song to my friend, Jimmy,  
And he said one word to me and that was "dead" 

And you can't always get what you want, honey  
You can't always get what you want  
You can't always get what you want  
But if you try sometime, yeah,  
You just might find you get what you need! 

I saw her today at the reception  
In her glass was a bleeding man  
She was practised at the art of deception,  
I could tell by her blood-stained hands 

And you can't always get what you want, honey  
You can't always get what you want  
You can't always get what you want,  
But if you try sometime, yeah,  
You just might find you get what you need! 

And you can' always get what you want, honey,  
You can't always get what you want,  
You cant always get what you want,  
But if you try sometime, yeah,  
You just might find you get what you need! 

At the end oh her performance, she shot the two boys a meaningful glare, as if to say "They freak me out. Tell them to stop."

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Inuyasha grinned madly. So she wanted a show, then, did she? This was going to be a little bit _too _much fun. *Glee*

When Inuyasha took the stage, he didn't contemplate like the others. Instead, he had a purpose... to find one song... the song that would start a riot...

"A hah!" he said loudly as he found the song he was looking for. Punching the numbers into the machine, he grinned evilly. Oh it would be so much fun ^.^

After the familiar bassline intro, he began:

__

I been dazed and confu-u-u-used, 

so long it's not true,

wanted a woman, never bargained for you,

lots of people talk, pretty few of 'em know, 

soul of a woman was created below, ah that's right,

He smiled at teh gasp as he forcefully threw the lyric book away. This would be great.

__

Oh everybody's been token, lord, 

I swear they been token dry, 

The way that you push-push-push me darlin',

I can't take too much of that,

So comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon,

baby show me the way,

I wanna make LOVE to you, pretty baby, 

a twenty five, twenty-five,

Twenty-five!

Twenty-five!

Oh, twenty five hours, a day!

Gasps. He was delighted at the sound. Too bad he had bailed on the guitar thing so long ago... ah well, those days were over, back to the present.

__

You hurt and abuse tellin' all of your lies,

shoulda quit you long time ago baby,

but you got m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-mez-emerized,

I still wanna make love to you little baby, ah twenty five, twenty five, twenty five!

Twenty five!

Everybody's been token baby, swear they been token dry,

the way that you push me darlin,

you know that I can't take too much of that,

So comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon,

show me the way, 

I still wanna make love to you little baby, a twenty five, twenty five,

He took this opportunity to gyrate his hips suggestively and smile at all the women in the audience. What an impression he had left...

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Twenty five! 

Kagome fumed. Just what the hell was this jackass thinking?! 

__

Oh baby, you know every day! 

The song finished, and the crowd applauded wildly, sans the Eisenhower High students present. That had gone rather well, Inuyasha couldn't help but pride himself. And, Karaoke was over, so he wouldn't have to sit through anymore crap. Ah, life was becoming sweet...

And things would only get better!

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Next Chapter: (Hate to keep on with the Eagles thing, but it's gotta be) Tequila Sunrise!

Well... that was poor. I don't like it. Meh, oh well. The lyrics for Dazed and Confused were a collaboration of the live version from The Song Remains the Same and my own demented mind. But hardly.

Anywho, the next chapter is gonna be sooooooo fun! Just remember the old saying: One tequila, two tequila, three tequila...

FLOOR!!

Ja Ne!

Poll: Err... kinda stupid, but how old do you think I am? 

10-13

14-18

18-21

Ka-bob?


	9. What is and What Should Never Be

A/N: Well, here I am, debating whether or not I should go through with my short, semi-pointless idea for Tequila Sunrise, or if I should try to move the story along... Meh, Too much Eagles in this fic... so... yeah, guess what. It's time for What Is And What Should Never Be! ^.^

Disclaimer: POOR!

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Kinetics:

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Track 9: What is and What Should Never Be

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"Well that was pointless," Miroku said blatantly as Inuyasha sat down again.

"I know, but... hell, it was fun... kinda... no, really, it was stupid as hell."

"Yeah. Which makes it poetic."

"Well of course. Otherwise what's the _point?_"

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Kouga, being the self-righteous bastard that he was, was furious. How dare that puny freak get a better response than him? Okay, so maybe the freak wasn't so puny... but, still, he was a freak, right? And freaks can't hold their liqour!

He stood up, and boldly made his way over to the booth where sat the two objects of his aggression. "Hey!" he said sharply as he sat down.

Inuyasha said nothing, but stared curiously at the guy sitting across from him. He heard Miroku say "Dude, are you the man-wolf, co'z, like, those teeth are freaking me out." And it was true, Kouga had the sharpest set of canines you'd ever lay your eyes on. He kept a whet stone in his pocket to make sure ^.^

And now he was smiling... but more than that, he was smiling _maliciously. _Inuyasha dully wondered what he had planned this time.

"I challenge you," Kouga began, trying to sound dignified in a cheap, run down suburban California bar, "to a drink off."

"You're kidding me, right?" Inuyasha asked. Then again, not many knew of his underground reputation. 

"What's the matter, puppy? Scared to make a little bet?"

"It's your funeral..."

"So here's the deal. You win, and I'll leave you and all your little friend alone. But if I win, you gotta do three less-than-legal favours for me, starting with sending the principal's car to hell."

"Sure thing, would you like the rag in the gas tank method, or the thermite through the car, seat, engine, and gravel method?"

"Thermite? What?"

"Dude," butted in Miroku, "You've gotta read the Anarchist's cookbook. Doesn't know what thermite is, jeez..."

"So, do you accept the terms?"

"Sure thing, papy." Inuyasha said off-handedly, "but one more thing. If I win, I don't care about you bothering me, but don't expect to wake up in a decent condition tomorrow. You'll probably be hung over all week."

"We'll see about that, dogface."

"Oh waitress," Miroku called, "we'll need a few tequilas over here. You know, typical drinking contest rules, form 372."

"Sure thing," the waitress answered. God _this _was going to be fun.

"What the hell did you just say to her?" Kouga asked, doubtful of Miroku's intentions.

"Just to bring you each a tray of tequila shots. The rules are simple, we go shot-for-shot, first one to barf or pass out loses."

"Okay then," Kouga said, slightly reassured. What a fool.

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Kagome was infuriated. Just what had he meant by that? Did he mean anything? She wanted answers, and damnit, she wanted answers NOW!

She stormed over the booth where Inuyasha was sitting, to find him engrossed in some sort of competition with Kouga. "Hey!" she shouted, trying to get their attention.

"Hush!" called Miroku, "One at a time, one at a time, please!"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Kagome asked as she took the only available seat. Next to Inuyasha.

"Simple," said Inuyasha matter-of-factly, "Our friend Kouga here is challenging his inferiority complex in the form of a drinking contest with me."

Kouga growled, but said nothing. It was a well-known truth at school that Kouga had never, actually, been able to beat Inuyasha in anything. However, he was always the closest, and thus he maintained his place at the top.

"Well, that can wai-"

"Shh! They're starting!" Miroku urged. "Whatever you have to say can wait.

And so the contest began.

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Round 1!!

~~~~~~~~

They each downed their drinks with a skill that only comes from spending hours in the basement, doing grape juice shots for practice. That's what I call a serious drinker. o.o  


Kouga shot Inuyasha a cocky smirk, only to find a smirk that more-than-challenged the smirk-ness of Kouga's initial smirk. Kouga couldn't believe that smirk. More so, he couldn't believe Inuyasha's drinking skill.

Meanwhile Inuyasha was in a state of extreme concentration. He planned out every drink, down to the last. It wouldn't take long for the 'surprise' Miroku had asked for to take effect, but, Kouga was a pretty resistant little dreg, so he was prepared for the worst.

And as all the careful calculations were going on, Kagome was lost in thought about the stupidity of the male ego, and Miroku was silently cackling. And not just in a "kahahaha!" way either. I Mean, like, a full on anti-cackle, the absence of cackling filling everyone at the table with a sense of unease. How long could this last?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skip to: Round 17

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

__

'What the hell! What's wrong with this guy, he should've been out cold minutes ago!' Miroku was fuming. He wondered if he had placed the wrong order.

But his suspicions were proven wrong, as Kouga fell to the floor, going from vertical to horizontal without fiddling around in the messy angular bits, with a loud thump.

Inuyasha smiled. "Yay..." he said, the drunken stupor evident in his voice.

Oh damn. He'd thought those drinks tasted funny. Dumbassed Miroku must've placed the wrong order, because he was suddenly very sleepy...

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Kagome almost shrieked. Almost. But there was something about the way the drunken boy looked as he slept there, having fallen directly in her lap in a manner that had her fuming, that stopped her from doing so.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" cursed Miroku, "I must have ordered wrong... gods, I winked with my left eye, didn't I?!" Miroku seemed to know what he was talking about, even though Kagome couldn't make sense of it. She wondered if maybe had a few too many too...

"Well, I've got stuff to do..." said Miroku, grabbing Kouga's limp body by the shoulders, "Can I trust you to take care of him? I've got some... unfinished business."

Kagome nodded. "Good. Now, when he wakes up, make sure he's in a bathroom, co'z he's gonna wanna barf like mofo. You're gonna hafta help him through the night. Sorry about this, but I'm sure tomorrow he'll be more than willing to answer your questions."

Questions? Oh, right, those questions. Why hadn't she remembered? That _was _her purpose for coming here, right? Or was it her excuse... She shook her head. These were dangerous thoughts...

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__

MIrrors on the ceiling, 

pink champagne on ice, and she said,

we are all just prisoners here, of our own device,

And in their master's chambers, 

they gathered for the feast,

they stab it with their steely knives, 

but they just can't kill the beast,

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Kagome smiled. She didn't know why, but she felt happier now than she had in a long while. Sitting here, next to Inuyasha, holding his hair while he barfed loudly into the toilet. Something seemed... predestined. Like this was meant to happen. And, although she wouldn't think so until a while later, there was something oddly romantic about the whole experience.

She sighed and rubbed the young drunkard's back. He was still pretty out of it, but at least he had regained consciousness. He swore to god, that never again in his life would he try to cheat a drinking contest.

"I shweear I'll nevurr... ugh!" More puke. God did this ever end? 

On her end of things, Kagome had to suppress a giggle. She would never admit it to herself, but she was, slowly but surely, falling for the boy. 

"I... need...." she stiffened. 

"What is it? Do you want me to call an ambulance or something?"

"Wa.... w.... WATER!" he choked. Gods, his throat burned. He would be lucky to ever do karaoke again. 

After chugging down at least three bottles, Inuyasha took a break for air. The CO2 building up in his system was starting to override the need for water.

"Th... thanks," she said to the girl next to him, who gave a relieved smile.

"It wasn't anything really, any decent person would've done it."

"Ahh, but that's where you're wrong. There are so many so-called 'decent' people who would have laughed and threw me into an alleyway."

"Well, maybe, but their not decent by my standards..."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. _'What standards...' _he thought snidely, memories of recent events stinging clear in his mind.

"Goodness, I'm not even sure if I'm decent by my standards anymore..."

That got his attention. Did she really mean what he thought she did? He had to be sure... because you know sometimes words have two meanings. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, trying to feign curiosity.

"I guess... I'm trying to say sorry... for all the things I've said about you in the past. It's just that... well, this sounds so stupid now. But, I guess, I got wrapped up in being popular... I guess I was afraid that if I didn't, then people might not like me, and I'd be forced to sink to the bottom with you..." noticing his ears droop, she added, "Now I can't even remember why that isn't a good thing."

He brightened noticeably, but only because he was still drunk. "Hey..." he said, his eyes drooping, and a goofy smile creeping onto his face, "I think I' about to pass out again, so, could you please take me back to the hotel? I'm room 301b-" Thud. He was on the floor again, a satisfied smile plastered on his face. He looked like he had just gotten the best sex money could buy, for free. 

__

'301 B...' she thought as he hauled his limp, ecstatic from into his room, finding Shippou passed out in front of the TV. _'Right down the hall...'_

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A/N: Hate to end it there, but I've been dying to get this finished, because SOMEONE had to take me out of this halfway through and make me revise/retype his fic, and make me lose interest in typing of any form for a day.

Anywho, that someone is a good friend of mine, known on FF.Net as Hon-Doroboo Xanthros. He is my partner in crime in all aspects (crime included), and I really, REALLY think you should read his fic, Nearly Famous. It's funny, really. Tell him I sent you. GO! 

As for the next chapter... you know, I really can't think of one right now? But, in about 3 chapters, we'll be nearing the Crisis of the story... scares me to think I'm nearly half done.

For anyone who makes requests, please know that 9 times out of 10 I won't use your songs, just because they don't fit my planned plotline. But, if anyone wants to use the same characteristics/personalities used in this story, I really don't care, just don't rip me off or plagiarize me... not poorly, at least. 

So that's all for now, I guess. Oh, as for the last chapter's poll, most of you guessed correctly, but probably only because I was so general in the choices. I'm 14 and a half, and I've been told repeatedly that I'm surprisingly mature for my age... but I don't think so! ^.^ So, yeah, I'm curious, exactly how old DID you all think I was? Beyond that, there's nothing else...

Or is there? No, not really. Just the cool-as-hell news that I'm now the official Village Idiot of the Watashi wa no Baka, started by Sakura-chan. You should read her fic, You! Because I said so. So yeah, that's all, really this time. Ja!


	10. Search and Destroy

A/N: Iggy Pop! Amen! This one should be pretty good. It just picks up kind of where I left off... but, yeah, it'll be cool. So yeah, onward!

Oh, and please, please, PLEASE go read Nearly Famous by Hon-doroboo Xanthros. It's really important to me, being his friend and all, and being the one who told him to start writing. And, like, yeah. I swear to god, until that fic starts getting some reviews, I'm gonna update slower. I'll do it. Don't test me! 

Apart from all of that, I'm working on a quiz contest for the mix CD thing at the end. So, yeah, expect to hear more about that in future updates.

Disclaimer: I own... uhh... lemmie get back to you on that...

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****

Kinetics:

__

Track 10: Search and Destroy

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Inuyasha groaned as he crawled to the bathroom slowly on the floor. He struggled to remember last night, but could only remember choice bits, like Kagome's apology, and something about roast beef... o.o

He used the toilet to steady himself as he got on his knees, trying to stop the throbbing in his temples as he his worked his way to the sink. After a good fifteen minutes struggle and only one or two topples, he managed to pop three Aleve into his mouth. Searching for a cup, he nearly retched at the acidic taste of the dissolving tablets. God hangovers suck...

But that's the life he had chosen, and beer was only scratching the surface... Never again though. He and Miroku had promised each other, the drinking and the pot was all. Never again.

Never...

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__

Well I'm a street walkin' cheetah with a heart full of napalm, 

well I'm the runaway son of the nuclear a-bomb,

I am a world's forgotten boy, 

the one who searches and destroys,

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Shippou groaned and fell off the bed. After shaking himself thoroughly and attempting to stand, Shippou realized that the bed was, in fact, the kitchen counter. After disentangling himself from the stool, he made another attempt at standing, and with help from the bed, was able to steady himself upright. He closed his eyes, trying to remember the circumstances of his special sleeping arrangements.

__

Flashback

Shippou awoke in his chair with a start. Glancing at the TV, he saw the cause of his abrupt awakening was nothing but a Tom and Jerry cartoon. He shook himself off and made his way over to the hotel room's kitchenette. He made himself a peanut butter sandwich in the manner that all half-awake teenagers make peanut butter sandwiches in the early hours of morning. He leaned over the counter as he took a large bite.

Then he passed out.  


__

End Flashback

Shippou shook his head out of the clouds and finished his sandwich. And it was good.

Just then, Inuyasha made his presence known, stepping out of the bathroom with a wide smile on his face, bright-eyed and smiling, looking forward to a day at the Warner Bros. lots. "Hey," he said as he walked in, fixing his tie and smoothing out the wrinkles in his Armani suit, "You gotta freshen up kid. Myouga's gonna think you were out late drinking last night or something.

__

'How does this work? He's out late, and I'm _the hung over one, ' _Shippou thought grumpily as he dragged himself into the shower. He turned on the cold water first, and after a refreshing blast of water and ice, quickly turned the hot water on, screaming and turning it back down after a nice scalding. Now that was how you woke up in the morning. 

Stepping out 15 minutes later, he noticed the absence of a certain trench-coated youth. "Hey, Inuyasha, where's Miroku?"

"I dunno... I thought he came home with me last night, but, my mind is giving me a lot of blur."

Just then, the topic of the conversation walked in, a smug grin on his face. He dusted himself off and said, "Heh, now that was a night Kouga will never forget."

"What did you do?" asked Inuyasha skeptically. "Was it legal?"

"In some senses. Nothing _too _bad, anyway."

"What happened?" asked Shippou, the curiosity in his voice overwhelming. So Miroku sat down and told them the story from the beginning.

__

Flasback

Kouga awoke with a start. He went to rub his eyes, but found his wrists restrained by an elastic-y object. Upon further inspection, he found it to be a hair scrunchy. He made to ask what it was for, but was silenced by what seemed to be a Violin bow, made of course with horse hair, smacking him abruptly upside the head.

"Beg for mercy!" screamed a female voice from behind his left ear.

"Uhh... what is thi- OW!"

"Beg to mistress Yura!"

Kouga's scream could be heard from many blocks. But no one cared much. It was a nightly occurrence.

__

End Flashback 

"Oh my god!" screamed Inuyasha. "That;s AWESOME!"

"I gotta admit," said Shippou, "that I'm glad to see that someone put him in his place. Even if it was in a rather odd way."

Miroku just smiled and made his way to the bathroom for a shower. Inuyasha glanced at Shippou, and Shippou at him, and they both silently vowed to each other that they would never get on Miroku's bad side while there was alcohol anywhere in a 100 mile radius.

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__

Honey gotta help me please  
Somebody gotta save my soul  
Baby detonate for me, aww!

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Myouga smiled at his students as he passed out the partner assignments. He was glad to see that he could trust most of his students to stay out of trouble and obey his rules. In fact, there was only one student who had been caught making trouble, and he was visibly shaken as he was caught walking towards the group as they set out, and was forced to stay behind in the hotel.

He smiled as he continued passing out the partnering sheets. He was certain that he could trust these students to follow the rules of the lots on their own. He beamed as he handed Kagome and Sango their sheets.

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__

Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology  
Ain't got time to make no apology  
Soul radiation in the dead of night  
Love in the middle of a fire fight  
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Sango groaned as she read her sheet silently to herself. _'Why him?' _she thought miserably, visions of the most notorious prankster to ever grace the school filling her mind, _'and after that dream...' _

She blushed, but quickly shook it away and looked over to her friend, who had a soft smile on her face. "Who'd you get? Dan?"

"No..." Kagome seemed hesitant to say...

"Well then, who is it?"

"I... don't wanna say."

"Why? Is he cute? Afraid I'll steal you're paper?"

"Not exactly... although now that I think about it, he is kind of cute..."

"Well, come on, who is it?"

"Well... remember how I kinda disappeared last night?"

"Yeah..."

"Well... while I was gone, I had to hold back someone's hair while they puked, and take them home co'z they passed out."

"Who? WHO!?"

"Well... I'll give you a hint... he has long, silver hair."

"Kagome, that was so not funny."

"It... wasn't supposed to be..."

"Oh, my god. You're serious aren't you? Oh jeez, I can't believe I've lived to see the day."

"See what day?"

"The day you'd desert all of us! How could you be glad about spending a whole day with him! Oh my god, you even called him _cute! _You've become sick!"

"Hey, who's deserting anybody here?"

"Don't you get it?! If you start hanging around with him, your social life will be over! We won't even be allowed to hang out together anymore! How could you do this to me?"

"Me deserting you, huh? Well, maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems to me that _you _are the one deserting _me. _Just like everybody deserted him a long time ago. But if that's the way things work, maybe I'd rather be a cast away. I can't believe I was ever as blind as you are now..." and with those last few words, she walked away from Sango, staring at the ground and shaking her head.

"Kagome..." Sango said aloud moment after she was gone, "I can't believe they've brainwashed you..."

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__

Honey gotta strike me blind  
Somebody gotta save my soul  
Baby penetrate my mind

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Kagome laughed as she lightly punched Inuyasha's shoulder. Today was turning out surprisingly well, considering her conversation with Sango this morning. She was a little down about it at first, but as the day went on, she and Inuyasha started having a lot of fun together, and her spirits rose constantly. By now, she was feeling invincible. In fact, she felt so confident at the moment, that she decided it was time to tread on some dangerous ground.

"Err... Inu-kun?" She asked, looking up from her fries and smiling softly at his blush. "I was just wondering... well, I've heard a lot of false stories and stuff but... well... I'll just be blunt about it. Why do you have dog ears?"

"Hn? Oh, it's a genetic disorder found in some families of Japanese decent. It's believed that it was caused by a genetic mutation from exposure to radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's all traced back to my grandfather, who died of radiation poisoning in 1951, after my father was born."

"Oh..." Kagome shrugged, "makes sense. At least that explains your fixation with WWII."

"Yeah... and even though I am of Japanese decent, I consider the Allies totally in the right and would enjoy shooting some Imperialist Jap Bastards. Only the Imperialist ones, though."

Kagome giggled. She hadn't had this much fun since summer.

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__

And I'm the world's forgotten boy  
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy  
And honey I'm the world's forgotten boyt  
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy  
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"So, err, Sango was you're name right?"

"Yes. For the 8th time, my name is Sango."

"Right, sorry," said Miroku, a childish grin plastered on his face. He was enjoying this punishment too much. He made sure she wouldn't forget his name or anybody else's anytime soon.

"So, like, what exactly are we here for?" Sango asked, trying to keep the thoughts of her dream out of her mind. But, she still couldn't believe how vividly real the feel of his hand in the dream were...

Arrgh! There she went again! Why couldn't she just put that damned nightmare behind her and move on? Did it have something to do with what Kagome had said this morning. 

She caught sight of her ex-best-friend laughing from the corner of her eye. _'How come she never laughed like that at my jokes?'_

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__

Forgotten boy, forgotten boy  
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy  
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A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Honest to god, it doesn't feel like ten. So, yeah, I really wanna start working on 11, but, as I said before, I'm not writing anymore until someone reviews Nearly Famous by Hon-doroboo Xanthros. He's on my favorite stories list, so you have no excuses. Go, READ IT, NOW!

Lol, yeah, well, now that I've thoroughly threatened you, Back to the notes. Well, err, yeah. Things are moving along rather well. Expect St. Patrick's Day to come into the scene VERY soon (St. Patrick's Day being the companion to this that I'm planning, from Miroku's POV. You people _really _should read my bio every so often for info about my works.). So yeah until next time, Ja!

P.S. GO READ NEARLY FAMOUS! GRR!!


	11. Grace

A/N: Yo! I'm glad to see that my threats payed off! ^.^ No, honestly, thank you for reviewing my friends fic, because I'm kinda like a co-writer for that (I give him the plot. He changes it and makes the jokes ^.^) So, yeah, arigatou!

Anywho, the song for this fic comes from the insanely cool mind of My cousin's boyfriend, Mark (not his real name). Mark used to have a band, called Moss Head Green, that was hella cool. They broke up some time ago, but their songs remain the same, and the music is still great to listen to. If anyone is interested in hearing this song, contact me via e-mail at fadetoblackened007@yahoo.com.

Anywho, on with Grace!

Disclaimer: I own even less than the usual nothing this time.

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__

Say these words for grace, 

and say that it was, everything you need

I said pick up the pace, 

flipsides, and follow me in through the mean

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Inuyasha awoke and stretched his arms out. It had been a long ride, but they were finally back at the familiar grounds of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial High School. He yawned loudly and woke up the person next to him, who was, surprisingly NOT Miroku. Kagome yawned.

"Are we back already?" she said as she felt herself falling from the fluffy clouds of sleep. She couldn't remember a time when she had slept better. 

"Yeah," was his simple response, as he too pondered, although about more important matters. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Shippou in a while... ever since Kagome had become a part of their little circle, Shippou had been locked away in his bedroom, always on the phone, although he couldn't imagine whom with. 

He sighed, making up his mind to talk to him later about it, and turned his attention back to the girl next to him.

"Hey," he said, noticing that she was about to fall asleep on his shoulder, "do you need a ride home or something? You know, since you and your friend aren't exactly on the best of terms..."

"Hnn... oh, yeah... I hadn't really thought about that... uhh... sure, I guess. Do you have a car here?"

"Aa, I told Sesshoumaru to leave the Altima here and walk home today," said Inuyasha. "Not sure if he did though... if not, we get to bug him to come get us." He smiled, and started to stand, only to find himself anchored by the arms the he hadn't noticed were around him.

"Ara? Aa, ano... sorry bout that..." said Kagome sheepishly, embarrassment written on her blushing face as she moved her arms.

"It actually felt kind of nice..." Inuyasha mumbled under his breath as she stood, too quiet for her to hear.

"Come on," she said, her face restored to it's natural color, with a bright smile. He followed her obediently.

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__

And if it's no, insecure,

and I'm comin' in complete,

to what's diggin' down,

the bed of the sound, from under the street,

it's the one little thing that I just, 

cannot get, it's how you,

it's how you,

it's how you,

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Inuyasha smiled as he spotted the familiar black Altima in the parking lot, and motioned for Kagome to follow. She did, running to escape the chill air of the frosty December night. It was such a contrast from the warm air of California. 

Turning the key in the ignition, Inuyasha smiled over to Kagome. She smiled back, as the engine puttered a bit before roaring to life. She looked around disinterestedly, trying to think of some way to start a conversation. 

A wave of relaxation surged through Inuyasha's body as he drove the familiar streets towards Kagome's home. He felt a sudden urge to sing, and, momentarily forgetting Kagome's presence, began, "Well so much for Sunday savior, co'z I just climb inside my mind, and wallow over heavy pavement, a scene in the life..."

Kagome felt the same relaxing surge as he continued, "And set up by Tuesday afternoon, and now I'm singin' 'bout my baby, blue, from shouts out the window, I say that I, that I try..."

The rhythm of the song was taking over Inuyasha's body as he drove, but somehow his driving was unaffected. The lyrics got heavy as he picked up the chorus, "Well I may be, just a little frayed, but in you're eyes babe, I know I'll say it, well what you say babe, it classifies, but I can't be me, and still be with you, but I'll try."

"Wow..." said Kagome, causing him to stumble over the next words and bringing a blush to his cheeks. "Did you write that? It's really good..."

"Y.. yeah, I did..." he said embarrassedly, taking a great interest in the road. 

"Are there any more? Because that was really, really good... you could even become a rock star some day!"

"I... used to be a serious musician, but I stopped a while ago..."

"You should start again... that was a really amazing song. I'd like to hear some more of you're songs, actually, if you don't mind..."

"Heh," he laughed nervously, scratching his head, "well, ehh, I guess it'd be alright to let you hear a few... remind me to bring some when school starts again."

"Err... yeah... about school..."

"Hnn?"

"Yeah, well... I was kind of wondering... well... do you think you could start tutoring me again? Because, well..."

"Say no more. It's no problem, I can start next week," Inuyasha answered, just a little bit too quickly.

A comfortable silence fell. After a few moments, Inuyasha turned to face Kagome. Smiling, he said, "So, you really think I could make it as a musician?"

"Most difinitely," she answered matter-of-factly.

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__

And what we said was,

all shaken, from the record, yeah

A phantom doubt, that bounced,

it's time to keep on sendin', I said,

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Inuyasha sighed as Kagome walked down the walkway to her door. He didn't know why, but the more he got to know this girl, the more he wanted to have her around. He waited until she was inside, hesitated for a good 20 seconds, and then started driving away. However, by the time he got to the end of the street, Kagome was chasing after him, carrying one of her small bags and waving her arms frantically. A confused look plastered itself on Inuyasha's face as he pulled to the side of the road.

Hopping into the seat next to him, she shoved a note into his hands. It was from her mother. Inuyasha read: 

__

Dear Kagome,

Sorry, but I had to go out of town for the weekend. I've already talked to Sango's parents, and they said it would be alright for you to spend the night there. 

Love, Mom.

"Oh..." said Inuyasha as he handed the note back, "So... why did you come running out again?"

"I... forgot my key."

"Oh... so... do you have any idea where you can stay?"

"Well, most of my so-called 'Friends' have disowned me for the dumbest reasons, so, no, I haven't a clue."

Inuyasha gulped. He wanted to do the noble thing and invite her over, but there was one slight problem. He already knew that there was no one home at his house, Sesshoumaru being at Rin's and his dad off on a business trip. And two teenagers of the opposite genders staying in a house by themselves was definitely not a good recipe. However, he was torn out of his thought by Kagome's voice, asking the one question he didn't want to hear. 

"Hey, do you have an extra room or something where I could sleep tonight? I can always just break into my house tomorrow, but the alarm would make it impossible to do now."

"Well... erm... yes, we do have a guest room, but..."

"Yes?"

"Well, you see... there's no one home at my house."

Kagome looked confused. Taking in his flushed face, she decided to play off of his emotions, "Really? Well, that's alright. I'll be able to sleep better with such a nice, strong, _chaste _boy in the house."

She giggled at Inuyasha's gulp. Oh she could be a little devil woman, sometimes. 

"A...are you sure?"

"Oh, of course, silly! Besides, it's not like you're _that _kind of boy," she said, giggling again at his reaction.

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__

and If it's no, so insecure,

and why d'you keep comin' in, complete,

to what's diggin' down,

from under the from under your feet

It's the one thing I just,

cannot get, it's how you 

go on,

it's how you,

go on, it's how

and honestly, this can't be

what I found

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"Welcome to my humble abode," said Inuyasha as he flicked on the hall lights.

"Hmm..." said, looking around the room with a criticizing look, "It's not much... but it'll have to do."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha walked into the kitchen and prepared to make dinner. "Alright," he said, turning to Kagome, who stood in the doorway. "Do you want the Creamy Chicken Ramen or the Beef Ramen?"

"Hmm... creamy chicken," she answered, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Alright," he said, grabbing two packages of Cup Ramen from the cupboard and pulling out two saucepans.

"So... like, it's 11:00... wanna see if there's anything good on TV while I'm making this?"

"Sure," said Kagome off-handedly as she walked back into the living room.

Inuyasha smiled softly to himself, and went back to preparing the Ramen.

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Yeah,

and if it's no, insecure,

oh, incomplete,

to what's diggin' down,

the bed of the sound, from under the sheet,

It's the one little thing that just, cann't get,

it's how you go on, 

it's how go, around,

and honestly this can't be, what I found

yeah,

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A/N: Yay! A good, fluffy, pointless chapter! Just what this fic needed, I think. The next chapter will be an even better, even fluffier, less pointless chapter, and I'm not even gonna tell you what it's called yet ^.^ 

So, yeah, notes. Well, yeah, that song that Inuyasha was singing in the car was also by Mark's band. So, like, yeah, I might be making a second disk to the whole Mix CD at the end thing, of just all the songs that have been in the fic so far, but aren't chapters. 

Well, that's all for now, now it's time to revise. Fun. Anywho, until the next chapter, Ja ne!


	12. You Had To Be There

A/N: This is insane. I just posted chapter 11 like an hour ago, and I'm already starting 12... crazy...

This chapter is _another _songfic chapter, of a song by the band Stillwater (If you've seen Almost Famous, you know who I'm talking about, and if you haven't, you are a blasphemer and a heretic and must be strapped into a chair and forced to watch it 100 times. ^.^ Ish a very good movie... all of this coming from the guy who has the script -.-)

Oh, and sorry that I forgot the title block in the last chapter...

Disclaimer: Same as always...

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Kinetics: 

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Track 12: You Had To Be There

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One voice tryin' to be heard,

round pegs livin' in a square world,

we were strangers in a strange land,

always reachin' for the upper hand,

we were far too foolish then

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Kagome smiled softly to herself as she sat down on the comfy couch in Inuyasha's living room. Sighing warmly, she grabbed the remote, and checked the channel guide on the digital cable for and good movies. "Aww what the hell," Kagome said as she breezed through the listings, "five hundred channels nothing to watch."

She heard the door open behind her, and turned around to catch Inuyasha walking in with two bowls of steaming Ramen. She couldn't help but breathe deeply the scent of the delicious poor-man's delicacy.

"Anything good on?" Inuyasha asked, taking a seat next to Kagome on the sofa.

"Not really..." Kagome answered, flipping through the guide again. "Unless you wanna watch Night of the Living Dead, in which case I'll be in the kitchen."

"No, I'd rather not..." said Inuyasha, who also had a thing for sleeping.

"So... do you have anything on DVD or something?"

"Hmm... well, there is something..."

"What?"

"Almost Famous?"

"Never saw it, is it good?"

"Good? Why, it's only the greatest movie to grace the face of this earth to date," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Cool," she responded off-handedly. She wondered if it could really be that good...

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Well it was Juvenile,

it was somethin' wild, 

part of every child,

Girl, you had to be,

Rough and tough,

it was Peace and Love,

all of the above, 

yeah, you had to be there,

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'They are trying to _buy respectability_ for a form that is _gloriously and righteously dumb!_ And you're smart enough to know that. And the day it ceases be dumb is the day it ceases to be _real._ Right? And then it will just become an _Industry of Cool.'_

"Wow..." Kagome whispered softly, "this guy has a great way with words..."

"I know," came the answer she wasn't expecting, "he's right about everything, which is why he's my favourite movie character ever."

Kagome just nodded and turned her head back to the movie. This was turning to an interesting and informative night... _'So this is the kind of thing he likes...' _she thought, taking a mental note.

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Outcast, misfit,

they're so full of it,

don't tell me it's 

somethin' that you never did,

We were stangers in a strange land,

always reachin' for the upper hand,

you were hard to understand,

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(About 2 and a half hours later:)

'Aw, man. _You made friends with them! _See, friendship is the _booze_ they feed you. They want you to get drunk on feeling like you _belong.'_

'Well, it was fun.'

'They make you feel cool. And hey, I met you. You are _not_ "cool."'

'I know. Even when I thought I was, I _knew _I wasn't.'

'That's because we are uncool! And while women will always be a problem for guys like us, most of the great art in the world is about that _very_ problem. Good-looking people have no spine! Their art never lasts! They get the girls, but we're _smarter._'

"Ahh, the dialogue of my life," said Inuyasha ruefully, once again forgetting his company. Kagome looked down, shame showing one her face.

'I can really see that now.'

'Yeah, great art is about conflict and pain and guilt and longing and love disguised as sex, and sex disguised as love... and let's face it, you got a big head start.'

'I'm glad you were home'

'I'm always home! I'm _uncool.'_

'Me too...'

"Y'know... I'm really sorry about, y'know, the past few years. I know I haven't really been a great person in the past, but... I really want to get to know you now, you know... Yeah..." Kagome said, beginning strongly, but her voice trailing to a whisper as she goes on, "I guess I just never really considered how it felt to be you before..."

'The only true currency in this bankrupt world if what we share with someone else when we're _uncool.'_

"I guess it's alright..." said Inuyasha soft in response, after a brief pause. "After all, you're one of us now." Kagome fought hard against the tears welling up in her eyes as he settled back into the couch and turned back to the movie.

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It was juvenile,

it was somethin' wild,

part of every child,

yeah, you had to be there,

Rough and tough,

it was Peace and Love,

all of the above,

yeah, you had to be there,

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The last few chords of _Tangerine_ fell on deaf ears as the movie came to it's close. Doris the Bus struggled up the final hill and into the sunrise, as the two teens slept in each others arms on the couch, mumbling, sighing and unconsciously snuggling closer as the ending credits rolled. 

An hour later, Inuyasha was the first to stir. He slowly opened his eyes to find his face crushed into the softest black hair he had even seen. He took a deep breath, and was overwhelmed by the smell of cherries. 

The motion had awoken Kagome, and she found her face snuggled into a red cotton T-shirt. Looking up, she found herself lost the most beautiful amber eyes she had ever seen. _'Why did it take me so long to notice... his eyes are beautiful...' _but she couldn't help but notice the sadness half-hidden there in the bottomless honey pools. 

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Yeah, it was Juvenile,

it was somethin' wild,

part of every child,

girl you had to be there,

Rough and tough,

it was peace and love,

all of the above,

yeah, you had to be there,

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Arrgh! That was way too short! Expect another immediate continuation from the next chapter, and even MORE senseless fluff, when Inuyasha and Kagome's story unfolds in "Amber."

Till then, ja!


	13. Amber

A/N: Yay! Yet ANOTHER song fic chapter, and more fluff, and GOODNESS! ^.^ I have high Hopes for this one... so YAY!

Disclaimer: I am Poor! Yay!

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Kinetics:

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Track 13: Amber

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Brainstorm,

takes me away from the norm,

Oh, I got to tell ya somethin',

This phenomenon, had to put it in a song,

and it goes like,

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Inuyasha turned away, blushing slightly. He hoped Kagome didn't notice. Mentally stepping back for a second, he pondered what all this could mean. Kagome was the only girl who had ever made him blush...

The good news for Inuyasha was that Kagome had not noticed his blush. The bad news was that Kagome hadn't noticed _because _she was staring rather intently at his eyes. Consequentially, Inuyasha's blush grew more intense, spreading until his face felt like it would pop. He sank away, trying to hide himself from those blue eyes, staring at him magnanimously, trying to learn everything about him from his eyes.

The eyes that told a whole story, without a single word.

Suddenly, she jerked her head a little bit, looking at him again and asking, "Why are you sad?" It had sounded so innocent, like a small child. 

He sighed. "It's... a long story..."

"I... I understand," she answered respectfully. '_He must have his reasons...'_

"Ahem, so... yeah... it's getting late..."

"Yeah... ahh... do you have a shower I can use?" _'That was a stupid question...' _

"Hmm? Sure, down the hall on the right," he said absentmindedly. Kagome nodded and walked off down the hall.

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Who-oa, amber is the colour of your energy,

who-oa, shades of gold displayed naturally,

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At the end of the hall, Kagome found herself face with two doors. She shrugged, deciding to just check the closest door first, and turned the knob. She was a greeted with a wave of cool air and a soft blue light. Curious, she walked down the stairs in front of her and found herself in what appeared to be someone's bedroom. Taking a closer look around, she decided that this had to be Inuyasha's room. She walked over to where a beautiful acoustic guitar was standing in a corner. The instrument itself was a natural tint at the center, fading to black as it got closer to the edges (aka Sunburst ^.^). Scattered around the instrument were many sheets of paper, some Manuscript paper, others tablature, even a few lyric sheets lay in the entanglement. She picked one up and scanned it. She wondered if he had written it, because it certainly did not seem familiar to her. She shrugged and pick up another. Then she almost fainted. She read it again... no, it was definitely it. It was the same as the poem she had found on the first day of school...

Hearing footsteps above, she hurriedly threw the sheet back into the pile and made a mad dash for the bathroom. Luckily, when she got to the hall, Inuyasha was nowhere in sight. She gave a sigh of relief and slunk into the bathroom. After her heart had stopped beating, she turned on the water and began to undress. Just as she was about to step in, she heard a knock on the door. She went over and opened it a crack, one intense amber eye visible on the other side. "You forgot your clothes," he said simply, indicating the bag he held in his hand. She took it from him, hiding behind the door and muttering thanks. What was it about his eyes?

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You ought to know what brings me here,

o-oh,

you glide through my head blind to fear,

and I know why,

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Kagome sighed as she turned off the water. She had spent the majority of the past half hour thinking. Thinking about Inuyasha, his past, the lyrics she had found, the sadness in his eyes... She couldn't make sense of it all. In fact, there was only one thing she was sure of now.

She had feelings for him. Real, true, deep feelings.

A week ago she would have scoffed at the idea. Funny how things change, isn't it? Kind of like that David Bowie song... 

She shrugged and wrapped a towel around herself. She was too tired to bother searching for some even relatively clean clothes. Besides, Inuyasha wouldn't be up now, would he? Reassuring herself with a nod, she walked out the door, started off down the hall and collided rather abruptly with a silver haired youth. Her eyes found his for the third time that night.

But his eyes, however, were not focused on her. His eyes were pointed a little bit lower... The small drip of blood hitting the flood could be heard as Inuyasha's nose began to bleed profusely. It took Kagome a second to notice how cold it had gotten...

"AAIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" she screamed, and immediately began fwapping him up-, down-, and around-side the head. In the confusion, she stumbled forward, falling on top of the poor victim of circumstance.

It took a few moments again for realization to dawn. Inuyasha opened his eyes, and found it very hard to see because of the unidentified, soft, round objects that were being firmly pressed against his face. He let out a terrified "meep!" and tried to slink away, but found it very hard to do with his legs wrapped around Kagome's. Poor kid.

However, the boy was saved miraculously when Kagome, rather than beating him more as he had anticipated, began to laugh hysterically. She began to get up, to Inuyasha's relief, but rather than stand she rearranged herself on top of him, so that her head was on his shoulder.

She sighed and snuggled closer to him, all the while sending the confused boy to hell and back with emotions. Here was this girl, a total babe, one of the most well known in school, snuggling on top of him. The smell of her hair was intoxicating, and the feel of her pressing against him was sending every instinct of his over the top. He was loving every minute of this.

Loving every minute of her...

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Who-oa, Amber is the colour of your energy,

Who-oa, shades of gold displayed naturally,

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She sighed again and snuggled closer to him. She had to suppress a giggle as his face went through several different shades of red. She lazily wrapped an arm around his neck and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "You know what?" she voiced lethargically, "I think I had an epiphany in the shower. And you know what I realized?"

He shook his head no, but he had a feeling he knew what she was gonna say. And he had another feeling that he would like it very, very much.

And he was right.

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Who-oa, Amber is the colour of your energy,

Who-oa, shades of gold displayed naturally,

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Kagome was staring again, into the deep pools of gold that had been occupying most of her thought recently. But this time, it was different. She didn't see any of the sadness that was usually there. Just an intent gleam, staring at her in an almost wanting expression. She continued, "I realized... that I don't like seeing the sadness in your eyes. That when you were happy, I'd be happy. So I want to make you happy, from now on. I'll be by your side. Always. Loving you." She put a finger on his nose poignantly, before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

He returned the kiss hungrily, yet gently, as if he were both desperate for her and afraid of her at the same time. Inuyasha gently nipped Kagome's lower lip, willing her mouth to open and allow his tongue entrance. They stayed like lake for a few moments, exploring each other, desperately needing each other. Inuyasha was briefly aware of a small fear, the fear that this was all just s crazy dream he was having. But as they pulled apart and he looked into Kagome's eyes, he was sure that it was real. There was no way he could have dreamed the longing in those cerulean pools, as she gazed at his own amber eyes intently. He leaned colse, until his mouth was right by her ear, and whispered, "I love you, too..." finishing with a small nip on her earlobe. He smiled at the shiver than ran visibly down her spine.

She looked him in the face again, more desperate than ever. It was her turn to whisper in his ear, and she did just that. "I want you..." she said, "I need you to take me. Make me yours." 

Inuyasha scooped her lovingly into his arms. He felt as though a part of him had been waiting for this.

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You live to far, away,

your voice rings like a bell anyway,

don't give up your independence,

unless it feels so right,

nothing good comes easily, 

sometimes you've got to fight.

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Inuyasha was barely aware of his surroundings. He felt something warm nearby, and grabbed for it instinctively, holding it to him tightly under the warmth of his sheets. Holding onto the warmth with one arm, he used to other to pull his large quilt up over his head. He wrapped his arm back around the warm thing, which fit up against him surprisingly well. He began to nod off again.

A somnolent grunt came from the warm thing, and he felt the unmistakable feel of an arm draped of his neck. He remembered the events of the night before, and smiled. Then he gave a tight squeeze to _his _woman. And she squeezed back. Squeezing _her _man.

And they belonged to each other, completely and wholly, as they lay in bed and let the soft sunlight from the small windows shine on them. They were both awake now, awake in each other's arms. And they wanted nothing more than to stay that way.

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_Who-oa, amber is the colour of your energy,_

who-oa, shades of gold displayed naturally,

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Inuyasha sighed. His hunger was starting to get to him. He leaned back to look at Kagome. She was so peaceful there, relaxed and beautiful in an earthy sort of way. He let out another happy sigh. He hugged her tightly again.

"Time to wake up, angel," he said, sweetly and softly. She muttered for a bit, and reached out and began to scratch one of his ears. She smiled at the response he gave, a low, husky growl. 

After a good fifteen minutes or so, Kagome pushed herself up on one shoulder, yawned, and asked, " Hmm, what's on the menu today, chef?"

"Omelettes?" Inuyasha answered questioningly.

"Mmm, sounds good, lover boy." And with that, they got up and went to have breakfast. Together.

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Launched a thousand ships in my heart, so easy,

still it's fine from afar, and you know that,

Who-oa, brainstorm, 

takes me away from the norm,

who-oa,

I got to tell ya somethin'

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A/N: Dude... that was so much fun to write. I'm serious, i definitely think this is the BEST chapter so far. ^.^ So is everyone happy now that I've developed Kagome? I was gonna make it a little bit different from this, but right now I totally think that this fic so far is money. Right on the money. Oh, that was such a rush!

Ja ne!


	14. Drifting

A/N: Yo! S'me, I'm back, but I doubt I'll be able to finish this chapter before I leave for the weekend, so you won't be reading this until probably Monday. With that said, let's get to the fic!

Disclaimer: ... *runs away* 

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Kinetics:

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Track 14: Drifting

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Inuyasha smiled as he flipped over the yellowy mass of egg, cheese and vegetables. Omelettes were his favourite breakfast food.

As he put her plate down on the table, he took a moment to silently admire Kagome. Her face, her form, her smile... to him it could all be summed up in one word. Angelic.

Kagome began to blush under his intense gaze. She glanced up at him, and smiled as he too began to blush and look away. It seemed funny to her, that even after last night, they were both still so innocent. She shrugged a little and took a bite of her omelette, Damn this was good!

Inuyasha went back over to the stove and began to make his own breakfast blob. As he was working, he began to feel a peace wash over him. He began singing, "I been drifting, for years it seems, but now you've come along, to rescue me, and the fog is lifting, we got the moon and the stars above..."

"Funny... but somehow, I think you got that one the other way around," Kagome said, giggling.

"What ever do you mean?" 

"Nothing, nothing..." she smiled, giving him a soft glance.

Inuyasha shrugged. He had a feeling he knew what she meant, but... it was hard to put in words, exactly. Smiling, he sat down across from her. They sat, gazing into each other's eyes for a while, occasionally taking a bite. But for the most part, they were just happy to be with one another. After a few minutes, Inuyasha asked, "So... what do you want to do today?"

"Sleep?"

"Hmm.... that might just work..." he said, putting the dishes in the dishwasher. "Race you!" he called as he streaked down the hall and towards his bedroom.

"Hey, no fair!" Kagome called, running after him, "You got a head start!"

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Five hours later, and they were still in bed, laying in each others arms. Kagome slept peacefully, snuggling up to the young man next to her. Inuyasha was awake, however, thinking about things that hadn't been on his mind since last night. He wondered how Shippou would take the news...

And that led him down another dark path of thought. Was there really any news? I mean, sure, they had shared the same bed, and she had said she loved him... but...

He shook himself. How much confirmation did he need? He loved her, and she loved him, and that was that. But still... he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. As though this were some cosmic joke of a dream, and he would wake up and find everything laughing. Isolation does that to a person. 

He felt a slight shiver that was not his own, and wrapped the large comforter tighter around Kagome's sleeping form. And to think, he pretty much owed all of this to 17 tequilas. 

Glancing over at the clock, he saw that it was nearly 2:30. He groaned, deciding it was time to wake up his angel. He shook her gently, whispering, "C'mon angel, time to wake up. People will be coming home soon."

Yawning loudly, Kagome stretched her arms around Inuyasha and hugged him fiercely. "Mmnnngfhl..." she mumbled into his neck. "That was fun..." she said sleepily, "now what do you wanna do?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "wanna go to the movies or something? Just hang around town?"

"Hmm... I like the hanging around idea. So where you wanna go, lover boy?" 

Inuyasha blushed. God she was so sexy when she was tired! "Err... well... It's about lunch time... why don't we check out Romano's?"

"Hmmm... sounds good to me," she said, slinking back into a half-sleeping state. She yawned again and stretched as he stood, pulling on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. She walked up in front of him, moving in lazy, drunken circles, and hugged him tightly, holding on to the last gasp, the last grope of their closeness. And they both wanted to just stay like that forever. 

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Laughing as he walked down the street, Kagome beside him, Inuyasha felt at ease. Right now... he felt he was in another place, an alternate existence in which all of his hardships didn't apply. It was good a good feeling, but, that small, doubtful, paranoid part of him was constantly trying to remind him that the only place to go from here was down. He shrugged it off though. I his entire life, he had found pessimism a waste of time. Best to keep yourself cool and collected...

Kinda like James Bond.

He pushed all that out of his head, welcoming the feeling as he turned to face Kagome. He wondered what she was thinking about...

Meanwhile, Kagome had none of her partner's concerns. On the contrary, her head was humming with a different feeling. Worry. What would her mother say if she found out. No, no, she'd find out eventually, somehow. The question was _when _she found out.

Kagome sighed, and noticed Inuyasha's stare. She blushed, but turned to gaze back. God, how she loved his eyes... They were so open and revealing. She felt that if she ever needed to know something, she could just look in his eyes and there it'd be.

Now, his eyes were shining with a childlike curiosity, and she was sure he was thinking about her... She leaned over and kissed his cheek, and whispered, "We'll talk about it later," before kissing him again and giggled, running down the street towards Romano's.

He was a little unsure of what she meant at first, but decided things must be alright if she was happy. He smiled, and ran off after her, laughing a little.

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They stood, leaning on each other for support as they caught their breath outside. Inuyasha couldn't recall better times... well, maybe there was that one time when... nope, not quite.

Inuyasha nearly doubled over in laughter as he saw the message posted on the window. "Come in and eat, or we'll both starve!" It had to be the greatest marketing campaign ever...

After a few deep breaths, he hooked his arm through Kagome's ad walked in the diner. In one corner, splitting a pizza, were two teenagers, one blonde-haired and the other brown-haired. The sat, saying something about pipers and Propellerhead's Reason 2.0 and some guy named Hans. It was all very scary...

Kagome froze as she spotted someone else in the room. Sango... And today was going really well too...

Inuyasha felt Kagome stiffen, and turned to find out what had bothered her. He felt the annoyance before he saw the faces, and recognized Miroku, his face stern, and Sango...

"Err... you wanna... go somewhere else?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Kagome answered, releasing a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding.

As they walked away, Inuyasha turned to her and said, "I feel kinda bad now, for starving those poor employees."

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Kagome was still laughing as Miroku caught up to them. After a short exchange of pleasantries, they departed again. Kagome was feeling better now, and smiled softly as she noticed the shade of concern in the amber pools beside her. "So," she said, the cheery tone in her voice making that shade disappear, "where do ya want to go?"

"Hmm... home would be fun, if there weren't people there... how about the mall?"

"Sounds good to me..." she answered, a slightly seductive tone entering her voice. She giggled at his blush and leaned on his shoulder. Life was so much more fun now.

But still, she did have her regrets...

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Inuyasha smiled across the table to Kagome, listening intently as she told him about Souta, her brother, who was attending St. John's Military Academy in Wisconsin.

"Seems like a long way to go to study for the Military..."

"Yeah, but he loves it there. He'll probably go on to West Point pretty soon, so he'll be a little bit closer to home."

"That's cool... West Point... that's crazy."

"Yeah, we have high hopes for him. Mom thinks he'll be a great General someday."

"Yeah... you must really care a lot about your family..."

"Yeah, well, it's one of the most important things in my life, I guess. How about you? What about your family?"

"Well..." the sadness from before crept back into his eyes, "My mom died when I was 5... some weird activist hit, and I was the target. My dad was pretty shook up for a while... he always took time aside to make sure I was alright though. I dunno, I think my closest family member is my brother, even if he is only half. He's... well... I look up to him, a lot."

"Wow... it must be really hard, being you..."

"You don't even know..."

She moved over to hug him, and sat on his lap. "It's alright now though... I'll keep you safe and warm..."

Inuyasha blushed. This was all very embarrassing, but it made him feel... good. He noticed a salty smell in the air. He pulled back and looked at her, and saw the tears rolling gently down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern pervading the air, "did I do something wrong?"

"Promise me... that you won't be sad anymore, k?" she sniffled. 

"I promise, I promise... but why are you sad?"

"Because, I don't want you to be sad..."

"Shhh... it's alright. I'm not sad anymore? See? Now c'mon, smile for me."

She wiped her eyes, and tried her best at giving him a smile. 

"I love it when you smile, you know..." 

She blushed. There was a suave, sexy glint in his eyes...

Goodness knows what would have happened if Inuyasha hadn't noticed Shippou opposite the food court. "Would you excuse me for a few minutes? There's someone I hafta talk to..." he said, getting up as Kagome nodded.

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Shippou smiled as he talked to the man behind the counter. Looks like he had come to the right place... 

He eyed a nice Motorola flip-phone that was covered by the plan he wanted. 900 any-time minutes and free nights and weekends... it would be perfect. Affordable too... his poor-assed data banking job would be able to cover it.

He smiled as he walked out of the store, and noticed Inuyasha walking his way. He thought about what Miroku had said the night before, and went to greet him with a smile. "Hello, Inu!"

"Hiyo, Shippou!"

"Funny seeing you here..."

"Yeah, I was just sharing a pizza, with, umm... Kagome..."

"Really? Cool," Shippou said. He was kind of happy for his friend... for some reason, the idea of Inuyasha and Kagome sounded good to him. "I just bought a cell-phone, so I can keep in touch with... someone..."

Inuyasha quirked a brow. "Who?"

"Someone I met in California..."

Inuyasha evaluated his options. He could A). run around screaming "Shippou's got a girlfriend!" and embarrass the living hell out of both of them, or B). let it go for now. He decided to follow course B... besides, there'd be plenty of time for A later...

"Cool, that's good. Well, I don't wanna keep Kagome waiting, so, I'll see you around. Hey, you me and Miroku gotta hang out together sometime soon, considering it is Christmas Vacation this week."

"Yeah, that'd be cool. Well... see ya!"

Shippou watched Inuyasha wander off before smiling, and dialing a number he knew all too well. "Hey babe, guess what?"

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Inuyasha sighed as he helped Kagome pop the screen off of her window from the branches of the tree outside it. "So, err, this is the part where we say goodbye..."

"I guess so..." she replied.

"Well... call me, you know, if you wanna hang our tomorrow or something."

"Will do..."

She watched him from inside her room as he climbed down the tree. Just as he was about to leave, she called out to him, "Err, you know... my Mom's not supposed to be back until tomorrow afternoon..."

He looked up at her. Even from this distance, she could make out the glint in his eyes, "Oh, you dirty, dirty girl you!" he said, racing up the tree again.

"Look who's talking," she half-moaned once he was in her room. She threw herself upon him, planting kisses all over him. Just as she was about to remove his shirt, he stopped her.

"Kagome... what exactly are we? I mean, are we lover's, boyfriend girlfriend, a casual fling?"

"Why are you asking? I thought it was rather obvious..."

"What?"

"That we're soul-mates, silly!" she said, throwing herself upon him again.

And he had no more questions.

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A/N: Yay! More cutesy-ness! I know there was some stuff left out at parts... but that's co'z of my other fic, Lost Prophet! It's the semi-awaited companion fic to this, that I had planned on calling St. Patrick's Day. Why the change? Read to find out!

So yeah, I'll pretty much be working this and Lost Prophet off of each other. You won't have to read both, but I think it'd be better if people did. That's all I really hafta say for now...


	15. Sex and Candy

A/N: AAAAHHHHHHH! Damned comp crashed RIGHT when I was about to go save! . Now I hafta start all over.

Damnit! Well, anyway... coming attractions... Well, we're almost at New Year's Eve, which would be the crisis... the reasons for the rating change will become more apparent then...

Err... I've almost figured out a contest, so expect to see that soon too...

This chapter will most likely be short, and hopefully funny. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pull it off though... I just watched Road to Perdition, and I'm kinda depressed.

Disclaimer: Still poor!

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Hangin' round,

downtown by myself, 

and I've had so much time,

to sit and think about myself,

and then there she was,

like double cherry pie,

yeah there she was,

like disco superfly

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Inuyasha smiled, quietly humming the tune of Rivendell by Rush as he walked down the local strip mall. The peaceful feeling of the song reflected his own mood. So what if tomorrow was Christmas and he hadn't don any shopping? So what if he had no money? He was in love, and life was good, and... was that Miroku?

Inuyasha smiled. Standing no more than ten feet away was his best friend, looking contemplative as he stared at the Cinnabon stand. Inuyasha sauntered up to him.

"Hello my dear friend!" he said cheerfully.

"Hallo Inuyasha... say, you wouldn't have an extra... hmm, say, hundred bucks on you, would you?"

Inuyasha face faulted. "You mean... you're poor too?"

"Yeah man... I guess poverty is contagious."

Inuyasha nearly sobbed. "I am soooo screwed!"

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I smell sex and,

candy here,

who's that lounging, 

in my chair,

Who's that casting,

devious stares in my direction,

mama this surely is a dream, yeah

yeah mama, this surely is a dream,

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Kagome sighed, head hung low in defeat as she walked back to her mothers car. She had spent all day looking for a present for Inuyasha, but to no avail. She had seen a few gifts, but... she wanted his to be perfect. Now she had only hours before all their friends got together for Christmas Eve.

She wondered what she would say to him. Visions of him, crestfallen to find that she had not gotten him anything, plauged her thoughts. She shook herself, and straightened her stance. With a new found determination, she marched back over to the entrance. All was going well, until she decided to check her purse.

"Where's my money!?!?!"

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Hangin' round,

downtown by myself, 

and I've had too much caffeine,

and I was, thinkin' 'bout myself,

and then there she was,

in platform double suede,

yeah there she was,

like disco lemonade,

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Inuyasha sighed as he pulled up to Kagome's house in his father's black Altima. His father was away on business again, so Inuyasha and his friends were having a Christmas party at his house. He wondered if it was even worth it anymore... what with he and Miroku being to poor to afford gifts, there was almost no point. He sighed again as Kagome opened the door, a bag of gifts in one hand.

"Hey, loverboy," she said jokingly as she shut the door.

"Hello my sexy kitten," he mock-answered.

"Rar."

They laughed as Inuyasha pulled out of the driveway and they sped off towards his home. Inuyasha was glad to see that Miroku and Shippou had left the front door wide open, and were most likely raiding the fridge. He stormed in, gave them each a proper fwapping, and went over to the couch and sat down. Shippou and Miroku grinned sheepishly as they took their seats. Kagome giggled as she sat down on Inuyasha's lap, causing him to blush while earning snickers from the other two.

"Ahem," Inuyasha said, glaring pointedly at the other two. And he still owed Miroku a ridiculously complex and drawn out punishment, didn't he? "First off, for the sake of cliché, we'll be watching 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"

"Aww..." Miroku whined mockingly, "but I wanted to watch Rudolph!"

Kagome snuggled into Inuyasha as the movie began. She'd never actually seen it before.

After the movie, it was time for presents. Inuyasha and Miroku grinned sheepishly as they received their fwappings. 

Later still, after everyone had opened their presents, Inuyasha and Kagome were sharing a drink in the kitchen while Miroku and Shippou searched the TV for something to watch.

"Ehh...." Inuyasha said as he sat down next to Kagome, "Look... I'm sorry I couldn't get you a present... I'm poor. I have no money."

"It's alright... I'm sorry too. I wanted to make your gift perfect, but... all of my money got stolen while I was at the mall."

Inuyasha walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "There's still one thing we can do fo each other..."

"You mean...?"

"Yeah."

"With Shippou and Miroku around?

"It'll be... risque..."

"Sounds like... fun!"

They dashed down the hall towards the nearest bedroom. So Chrismas wasn't such a failure after all...

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I smell sex and,

candy here,

who's that lounging, 

in my chair,

Who's that casting,

devious stares in my direction,

mama this surely is a dream, yeah

yeah mama, this surely is a dream,

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Sesshoumaru yawned heavily as he walked through the front door. His date with Rin had lasted almost until 1:00, and he was beat. He noticed the strange stares from Inuyasha's friends as he walked through the living room. The orange haired one seemed like he was going to say something, but stopped.

"Night, kids. I'm off to bed."

"Ehh... Are you sure you don't want to do something else first? Watch a movie, have a snack?" asked Miroku.

"Look, I've been out since 5, and I'm excruciatingly tired. I'm sure that all I want is sleep," he answered as he stepped through the kitchen. For some odd reason, the friends followed him. He shrugged it off... Inuyasha's room was this way too. Yawning heavily, he opened the door to his room. And screamed.

"SWEET MOTHER OF CHRIST!!!"

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A/N: Cliffie! ^.^ Wheeee... next chapter will be the parental response people were asking for. 'Till then!

Oh, and here's the Qualifying Round Question of the Kinetics Mix CD contest!

Question: In this chapter, at the gift exchange, who got the most gifts? It's tough, but I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure it out! Use some inductive reasoning!

Ja!


	16. Dazed and Confused

A/N: Yay, I'm back! And arrgh! I had to re-plan like half the story. And now I'm dying to finish it up, but I can't, co'z it's only half over! .

Anywho, things should be speeding up pretty soon for Kinetics... and maybe Lost Prophet too... So, yeah, onward to Whiskey in the Jar!

Disclaimer: Waaaaayyyy too poor.

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Kinetics:

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Track 16: Dazed and Confused

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Sesshoumaru stood, jaw agape, as the two youths scrambled for their clothes. No matter how he tried, the scene from a few moments ago kept playing in his mind. He would never think of pancakes the same way again...

"Just what the hell is going on here?!" he raged.

"Err..." Inuyasha began, "A rather kinky and gratuitous display of utmost love and affection?"

"But... why MY room?"

"Because it was closest?" Kagome said, shrugging.

"You won't tell dad, will you?" Inuyasha asked nervously.

"Oh, why, d'you do it there too? And why the various food stuffs?!"

"Err... after the first hour or so, we needed something to spice it up..."

"That's just lovely... God, I'm gonna have to burn this bed now!"

"Err... sorry?" offered Kagome.

"Yeah... right..." Sesshoumaru answered distractedly.

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"AWW, COME ON! LET US GO!" Inuyasha said, pulling hard at the handcuffs around both his wrists. Sesshoumaru had handcuffed both of them to the radiator, telling Shippou and Miroku to keep an eye on them as he went bed shopping. The smoke from the pieces of furniture in the fireplace was overwhelming, most likely because of the Maple syrup. 

"No way, you heard Sesshoumaru!" called Miroku. "$200! and I need that money!"

"God damn you!"

"Hey, it's your own damned fault!" yelled Shippou, who was trying to get some sleep on the couch.

"Yeah..." agreed Kagome, "Maybe your brothers room wasn't the best place..."

"I can really see that now," said Inuyasha flatly.

"Pipe down! God's, I'm surprised you guys haven't tried anything H yet," said Miroku.

"Well..." Inuyasha began.

"Oh god," said Shippou, thoroughly frightened. 

"I seriously hope you guys aren't around each other for New Year's," Miroku sighed. He already knew they wouldn't be- he and Inuyasha were going to a concert in Boston on New Year's.

Thirty minutes later, Sesshoumaru walked in the door. In his car was a mattress, but he was obviously too tired to care about bringing it in. He walked over to the couch, waved away Miroku and Shippou, and passed out. He missed the couch by inches, and ended up face first on the floor. He didn't care enough to wake up, and stayed in a comatose state until late the next afternoon. All the while, Kagome and Inuyasha were screaming for someone to let them go.

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Inuyasha sighed as he walked through the familiar doors of Dwight D. Eisenhower High, and thought about the concert two days ago. He had been... disappointed. he was hoping the band would put on a better show, but instead they were far too technical, and hard to really get into. 

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile as he caught sight of Kagome, gazing out the window as the snow-covered football field. He waved softly and walked off in the direction of his locker. 

Kagome sat, gazing at the field thoughtfully. She barely noticed Inuyasha's wave. She was too confused about what happened only minutes before...

__

~*~Flashback~*~

Sango ran up to Kagome, stopping a few feet away and pausing to catch her breath. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened over vacation. I want to still be friends. Okay?" She asked, smiling. Kagome could only nod. "Cool! Well, yeah, I'm in a hurry, gotta go!" she said, smiling before running off again. 

__

~*~End Flashback~*~

So now Kagome was thoroughly confused. Did that really even happen? She shrugged, and decided to talk to Inuyasha later. If there was anybody who's judge of character would help, it'd be Inuyasha.

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"Dancing days are here again, summer evenings grow, I've got my flower I've got my power, I've got a woman who knows..." sang Inuyasha soulfully as he grabbed some random stuff out of his locker. He was still a little confused about the new Semester schedule, so he grabbed most of his books, just to be safe. He'd have to find Miroku for his schedule...

He smiled as he saw the aforementioned youth walking nonchalantly through the halls towards his locker, which was, quote un-quote, coincidentally right next to Inuyasha's. 

"You got any idea what classes we have?" Inuyasha asked him.

"No clue, I was hoping you would."

"Hopefully Shippou knows..."

The two ambled off in the direction of Shippou's locker, an astonishing three feet away from their own, and patiently awaited the young boy's arrival. While they were waiting, a familiar stuck-up popular type person was seen heading their way.

"Hi," Sango said quietly, standing in front of Miroku and looking rather ashamed. "I'm.. sorry about the whole thing in California. In fact, I'd like to get to know you better," she said, slipping him a piece of paper. "I'll talk to you later," she said, and proceeded on her way.

Miroku looked down at the paper in his hands. On it was a phone number, and the name Sango Murasaki. He was confused, but simply pocketed the number and went on with the day.

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"Are you sure this will work?" asked a hushed female voice. It was Sango.

"Of course it will, I thought of it didn't I?" answered a husky male voice. Kouga Lupine. 

"Well... yeah... but I just don't see how this will make Kagome come back..."

"Listen, I've told you already. After those guys are taken care of, she'll have no where else to go but come running back."

"If you say so... but do I really have to pretend to like _him?_"

"Yes! NO go out there, and try to keep it up!" he exclaimed. Sango took his orders reluctantly. Somehow, she felt like she was betraying someone... although she wasn't quite sure who...

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Miroku thought about calling Sango as he sat on his stool, playing his guitar. He was trying to vent a little of his confusion through music, his secret savior. Very few people knew about his passion, and even less had ever heard him play.

He sighed, putting up his new Gibson Les Paul '57 Reissue. Oh how he cherished the instrument.

Picking up the phone, he referenced to the paper as he dialed, not entirely sure what he would say.

"Hello?" answered a female voice on the other line.

"Hello, this is Miroku Kenjishi, is Sango home?"

"Oh hi Miroku! Yeah, this is Sango. So, yeah, right... err... I was wondering... would you like to go out with me some time? Like, to the movies or something?"

Miroku almost choked in surprise. "R-really?" he asked.

And the conversation went on for hours.

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A/N: Shorter than I wanted it to be . Blargh. Oh well, expect another 8 chapters at the most from this fic, and then it's OVER. Then we move on to Acoustics! ^.^

So.. yay! Most of you got the last question right. It was indeed Miroku who received an outstanding TWO presents, thus putting him in the lead!


	17. Whisky in the Jar

A/N: Wow, back to work already... O.o Ah well, it's all good. Expect the possibility of another short on, as this was originally supposed to be part of the last chapter, but I really wanted to get what I had posted. Ah well.

Disclaimer: I own... uhh.... Well, let's start with what I _don't _own, which is inclusive of Inuyasha and anything else in this fic that belongs to someone else! o.o

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Kinetics:

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Track 17: Whiskey in the Jar

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"Hmmm... I don't know... sounds suspicious to me," said Inuyasha thoughtfully.

"Well... she was my best friend. Why is it so hard to believe?"

"She just... doesn't seem like that kind of person to me..."

"Did I?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat insulted. 

"Did I seem like a very god person to you?" Kagome asked. It was an honest question.

"Well... not... really... Until California, that is," he added quickly.

"Then what makes you so sure about Sango?"

"Look, you asked for my opinion, and I'm just trying to give it to you," he said, a little bit too aggravated.

Kagome hmphfed. She wondered what to do next... "I just don't understand how you can be so... so judgmental," she said. Very much the wrong thing to say.

"What do you mean judgmental? It's not like I haven't known about her for a few years! I've had time to get to know how this person operates, and let me tell you, it's not in a very sincere manner!"

"Why are you yelling?" she asked, pure confusion in her voice.

"I'm just... tired. I gotta go," he said, turning abruptly and leaving, without so much as a second glance. Their first fight had been rather mild, but there was definitely damage done. 

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It was a month after Sango had joined the group, and Inuyasha had been proven wrong. Sango got along with everyone quite well, and as Valentine's day grew near, she began taking more and more interest in Miroku. It was quite obvious that she liked him, a lot.

Inuyasha and Kagome were back on normal terms, although for some reason Inuyasha's pride never fully recovered. He seemed just a little bit quieter and a little more reserved with his thoughts than before, and no matter what Kagome did to try to cheer him up, he still seemed slightly depressed most of the time.

It was the week of Valentine's, and no one really had anything special planned. Inuyasha and Kagome were going to hang out and 'watch movies' together. Everyone knwe what this really meant, but they were all too afraid to vocalize it, for fear that Sesshoumaru was within earshot.

Lunchtime, the day before Valentine's day, Sango pulled Kagome aside. "Hey," she said, a polite grin plastered on her face, "do you think you could... umm..." she began to blush. Kagome looked curious as she continued, "Do you think you could... set me up... with Miroku?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well... we've never technically 'dated', and I was wondering if you could help me..."

"Sure thing! What do you need?"

"I only need you to give him this..." she said, handing her a pink note that reeked of perfume.

"Okay..." Kagome said, a slight hint of doubt present.

"Just slip it on his desk when he isn't looking, make it look almost as if it weren't intended for him, but just close enough to him that he'll be curious."

"Why do you need me to do it?"

"You sit closer to him in all of our classes," Sango reasoned. Deep down, part of her wanted to retch. But anything was okay, she reasoned, if it would bring Kagome back from this brainwashed state...

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Miroku suppressed a growl. AP Modern European History 2... his _favourite _class. What better way to spend the last half hour of his day than next to the schools most ignorant personality. That's right, Kouga Lupine himself. Another day, another hour of that moron pimping out his various battle scars and flexing his over-sized muscles to the girls. 

Today, however, he was surprised to find an unmarked pink envelope, practically dripping with perfume, sitting, three quarters on his desk. The last remaining quarter was on Kouga's desk, but seeing as the dunce was nowhere in sight, he picked it up and quickly scanned it's contents. It was addressed to Kouga, as he had suspected, and read like your average mutual love note. He laughed at some of the parts, even more cheesy than Inuyasha and Kagome.

He was shocked when he found out just why.

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"Inuyasha!" a seemingly pissed off Miroku called down the hallway, where the ever-despondent boy stood, dropping off books in his locker and preparing to go home. "You gotta see this!"

"What?" asked the disinterested youth.

"Why are you always so down lately?" Miroku asked, temporarily forgetting about the matters at hand. 

"I... think it was because of a serious blow to the pride I took a while back," he said shrugging, "I'll get over it eventually."

Miroku shook his head softly. No matter how strong willed a person was, they always had a weakness. Inuyasha's pride was easy to kill, for those who got an open shot at it.

"You're not gonna like this..." he said, handing the note to Inuyasha.

He sniffed it timidly. "This is Kagome's perfume..." he said, confused.

"Read it," Miroku commanded bluntly.

"_My dear beloved..._Oh god..." Inuyasha was torn in half. He re-read the line a dozen times, checking to see if he had read it correctly. "Why?" he asked simply, "Why, of all people, did it have to be _Kouga?"_

Miroku stood back as he witnessed a rare cycle of emotions. Fear, depression, sadness, mourning... they all flashed through the young boy's eyes. When at last the cycle stopped, it was in a scary place- Rage. Inuyasha screamed, and pounded his fist into a nearby locker, leaving a rather impressive dent. "FUCK!" he screamed, running down the hall. He needed to be somewhere, alone, where no one could find him. He didn't know exactly where he was going, as he pocketed the note and ran blindly through the streets. His heart was in turmoil, overriding his brain's rationale as he ran through the fields and into the nearby forests. He ran to a small cliff that he hadn't visited in a good 2 or three years, a place he had frequented as a child. It overlooked the river, and on top was a circle of boulders, large enough for a person to hide in comfortably for a few hours. Once inside the safety of hiding, he did something he rarely ever did. 

He let the world see his tears.

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A/N: Wow... I think I'm going to be excruciatingly evil and end it there... expect the next chapter to be a lot longer. Also, I apologize for not being the greatest at stressing dramatic scenes... I'm just... not that good .

Anyway, yeah, I have a lot of homework to do, which is one of the main reasons why I'm cutting this short again. As such, I won't be able to start the Kinetics Mix CD Contest until the next chapter, which hopefully will be out either tomorrow or friday... o.o Ja!

Upcoming Chapters:

Hey Hey What Can I Do

Your Time is Gonna Come

Celebration Day

The Rain Song

Communication Breakdown

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Over The Hills...

Yeah... that, as it stands, is the rest of Kinetics... I can't believe it's almost over... Oh well, that's what Sequels are for! ^.^

Also, be on the lookout for the next chapter of Lost Prophet sometime next week. I seriously doubt that fic will go over 5 chapters, but... yeah, it's still pretty cool, if you asked me.

Oh, one more thing. Let me make this completely and totally clear, for the last time: I AM MALE! Far too many reviews have I received from people under the notion that I am female... which I am not. I was born male, I grew up male, and godsdamnit, I'm a gunna die male! And proud of it too! Not to say there's anything wrong with females, of course, hehe... *nervously backs away from the mob of angry Women's Right's Activists* but I'm just saying, I am male, and there is no longer any excuse for mix-ups ^.^ 

Zoso!


	18. Understanding in a Car Crash

A/N: Yay! I is back, after a long and exhausting weekend. My comp was brokened all weekend, *sniff*, and I couldn't do any writing. So now I'm starting what should have been finished a long while ago. 

But, dear friends, this may be a half-blessing in disguise. Having been completely thrown off of my train of thought, I had sufficient time to re-analyze my plans and make a few large edits. As such, the chapter list from the last chapter no longer applies... sorry.

Anyway, if I can pull it off, this chapter will be nice and dramatic, with a twist ending. o.o

And don't worry, stuffs in the future will be happy...

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

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Kinetics:

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Track 18: Understanding in a Car Crash

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Splintered piece of glass falls in the seat, gets caught 

Broken windows, open locks, reminders of the youth we lost   
In trying so hard to look away from you   
we followed white lines to the sunset   
I crash my car everyday the same way   


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"What are you talking about?" Kagome asked, an incredulous look on her face.

"Stop it with the façade already! We know you were playing us the whole time!" Miroku screamed.

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm sating is: DON'T FUCK WITH MY FRIEND'S HEAD!"

"I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"Why are you still trying to hide it?"

"Hide WHAT?"

"The fact that you don't really like Inuyasha! The fact that you were playing him the whole time!"

"That's nonsense. Where is he?"

"He ran away somewhere after reading that note you wrote Kouga!"

"What note?"

"The one you left on his desk!"

"The only note I left anywhere near his desk was..."

"Spill it!"

"Sango's."

With that, Kagome darted down the hallway. She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. No, scratch that. She wanted them ten minutes ago. 

Seeing the familiar girl standing a few feet away, Kagome didn't bother to stop. Instead using her momentum to spring n the girl, she pinned her to the wall and spoke furiously.

"What was in that note?" she spat.

"I already told you," Sango lied, fear evident in her voice, "it was a note to Miroku!"

"Bullshit! Why can't I find Inuyasha, then? Huh? Why is Miroku screaming at me?"

"Okay! So I... kind of forged a note from you to Kouga!"

"Why? Why would you do that to me?" she asked, almost breaking down to tears.

"Because I wanted to be your friend again!"

Kagome's slap resounded off the walls. "You wanted to be my friend? Are you on drugs or something! YESTERDAY you were my friend! Now... now I don't know what you are..." Kagome's head started to hang slightly. Inuyasha had been right about her, all along...

Sango looked down in shame. "I... I'm really sorry..."

"Bullshit," Kagome said calmly as she walked away. After turning the corner, she sped up to a sprint. She still had a copy of all of Inuyasha's keys, and he was supposed to have the car today.

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Time to let this pass   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)   
Time runs through our veins   
(it starts and stops and starts and stops again)   
We don't stand a chance in this threadbare time   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)   
Time to let this pass   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)  
  
Staring at the setting sun   
No reason to come back again   
The twilight world in blue and white   
The needle and the damage done   


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Inuyasha sat silently, to tired to do anything. The stress, the shock, the surprise... he didn't want any more. He was fed up with it all, all the hidden cruelty's of life.

He shivered, and silently cursed himself for not taking the car. It was far too cold to be wandering about, especially at this time of day. He sighed as he watched the begin it's slow sinking along the horizon. Maybe this would be a release...

No. He and Miroku had gone through this before. They wouldn't think like that anymore. There was always a reason, they had decided, if you just look hard enough. Always a reason to go on...

Inuyasha sat for a while, thinking of what his reasons were. He decided that, even though he didn't have what he needed, a lot of other people needed him. To his father and Brother, they were the only reminders of his mother. To Miroku, he was a mutual partner in life. And where would Shippou be now without him?

"God damn you guys," he said derisively as he stood up, the thin layer of snow that had gathered on his body shaking off. "You've turned me into freakin', George Bailey." Leaving that thought on the air behind him, he set off on the long walk home.

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The broken watch you gave me turns into a compass   
It's hands still point to the same time 12:03, our last goodbye   
  
So push the seats back a little further   
I can see the headlights coming  
So push the seats back a little further   
Roll the windows down and take a breath   
I can see the headlights coming   
They paint the world in red and broken glass   


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Kagome gripped the wheel furiously, frantically searching the side of the road for any hint of the young boy. She was afraid... She knew Inuyasha was a strong person, but she also knew that he was a little irrational at times. She was afraid of what he might have done to himself.

And also... she was afraid of what he might do to her.

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Time to let this pass   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)   
Time runs through our veins.   
(it starts and stops and starts and stops again)   
We don't stand a chance in this threadbare time   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)   
Time to let this pass   
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)  
  
Staring at the setting sun   
No reason to come back again   
The twilight world in blue and white   
The needle and the damage done   


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Inuyasha looked forlornly at the road as he walked along the side of the road. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings. Thinking about everything that'd been happening recently, he solemnly shook his head. Why did life feel the need to use all of it's wild cards on _him?_

He looked up suddenly as he heard the screeching of car brakes. With an expression of awe plastered on his young face, he watched his father's black Honda Accord pull a mad sweeping U-turn, right off of the road, stopping inches away from a large tree. He expected the driver was his brother.

But he was proven wrong after watching an all-too-familiar girl step out, take a few hasty steps toward him and fall to the ground.

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__

I don't want to feel this way forever   
A dead letter marked return to sender  
  
The spinning hubcaps set the tempo for the music of a broken window   
the cameras on and the cameras click  
we open up the lens and cant stop  


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Inuyasha rushed to the girl's side without thinking. Even with all of the day's events, part of him still felt like he needed to protect the girl. he wondered just exactly what all of that meant...

Before he knew it, he was helping her up, hearing mumbled "thank you"s. Then Inuyasha seemed to fully remember the girl's betrayal, and "hmph"ed as he stuck his nose in the air. Part of him felt guilty...

"Inu-kun... I need to talk to you," Kagome pleaded.

"Why should I trust you not to break my ears like you did my heart?"

"That's just it! I never wrote that note!"

"Why does it have your perfume all over it then!"

"To cover up the scent of the person who _did _write it, baka!"

Inuyasha was stunned. He hadn't thought of that possibility... Then again, in such a position, who would've?

"I don't believe you," he said simply.

"Come on! Look, do you still have that note I wrote you yesterday?" Inuyasha nodded. "Why don't you try checking the handwriting?"

Inuyasha looked dubious... however, that did not stop him from reaching into his pocket and grabbing the aforementioned note. After a brief comparison, he determined that the note was, in fact, written in a different hand. "How do I know you didn't write it differently just to trick me?" he asked.

"Come on! Look, do you really think I'd do something like that to you? After all the things we've said to each other? After all the things we've _done _with each other?"

Inuyasha's expression remained stoic.

"Look... I can't tell you what to believe. We both know that. You have to decide for yourself whether you believe me or not. However, I will tell you the truth. I did not write that note."

Inuyasha turned to himself. He decided the best way to do this was to test her a little bit... '_Please, please don't try to be the strong one here! Please...' _he silently pleaded.

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__

Staring at the setting sun   
No reason to come back again   
The twilight world in blue and white   
The needle and the damage done   
  
I don't want to feel this way forever   
the lights are on and the cameras click  
we open up the lens to broken glass  


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Kagome became disheartened by his silence. she felt the urge to break down into his arms, like she was used to doing. But part of her felt she needed to be strong for his sake.

Minutes passed, and Inuyasha's stare became harder and harder. Kagome felt more and more depressed as she patiently awaited his answer.

Still more time passed, and Kagome felt her resolve slowly weakening. Meanwhile, Inuyasha was beginning to lose hope. _'Maybe it's true... maybe I was right...'_ shaking his head mentally, he solemnly prayed that he was wrong.

Maybe it was a sort of divine intervention, but Inuyasha's prayers were answered. Kagome could no longer bear the silence, and she broke down to tears as she flung herself into Inuyasha's all-too-ready arms. "Shhh..." he gently soothed, "It's okay... that's all I needed..." he said in a hushed voice. Kagome continued to sob as he picked her up and walked back over to the car. He smiled as he fastened her seatbelt and walked over to the drivers seat. Never before had being wrong felt so right.

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__

Staring at the setting sun   
No reason to come back again   
The twilight world in blue and white   
The needle and the damage done  
  
I don't want to feel this way for every  
A dead letter marked return to sender  


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Kagome smiled softly in her sleep. She was having the most wonderful dream...

She mumbled softly as a cold hand shook her awake. Her drooped eyes met with the only thing better than her dream -Inuyasha.

"Wake up sleepy head," he said gently. At last, everything was back to normal.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern written on her voice. 

Inuyasha chuckled. "I think I should be asking you that," he said jokingly.

Walking up the driveway, Inuyasha smiled as he saw his father's familiar white hair, only barely distinguishable from he and Sesshoumaru's, as the old man walked across the street from the bus stop.

His face turned to shock at the unmarked white van that barreled into him. 

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__

I'll never understand   
Understanding in a car crash

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A/N: O.O Shocker-ending! OMG, I can't believe how easy that was to write... and how twisted I can be... o.o.

Anyway, yeah, now that you're all thoroughly pissed at me, let me tell you some important stuffs. The CD contest thing is still going through the works, although now I'm just working out the kinks in it. The contest will only be open to people who don't mind giving away their street address, or who have software that will let them burn from .iso's and don't mind giving out an E-mail address. I'm sorry, but I can't send the CD/CDs out of the U.S. I'm too poor.

As for the remaining chapter list... I'll still be following it somewhat, but expect to see a few changes.

Ja!


	19. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

A/N: AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I'm BAAACCCKKKKK!!!!! Yeah... sorry about that .

Anywho, as you can see, I'm back, and just a little bit more evil. You can blame that on Las Vegas... just so you know, that place SUCKS unless you have LOTS of money and you're over 21. There are NO restaurants, just Casinos. It just sucked for me. The ONLY cool thing was that I got to play the Rush 2041 arcade all day on 50 cents, because I'm just that good at racing arcades. ^.^v

So, yeah, on with the fic... I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to do with this one, so were gonna hafta put all our hope for the title of this chapter on these loaded dice I bought...

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Yay!!?

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Kinetics:

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Track 19: While My Guitar Gently Weeps

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Inuyasha's vision was blurred as he woke, and the only thing he was sure of was that he was in a white room that smelled of medicine. "Where am I?" he asked groggily, starting to sit up.

He felt a feminine hand push him back down gently and heard a familiar voice say, "Shh, stay down, your in the hospital."

"Kagome? What happened...?"

"Shh, it's alright, you just fainted..." Kagome trailed off uncertainly, and Inuyasha knew something was up.

Struggling to remember, he sank down in his pillow and slowly went over all of the events of the day. The day had been hectic, but nothing that would have made him-

The horrifying scene of his father being mowed down played over and over again in his head, and he jolted forward in fear and surprise. "What happened to my father?" Inuyasha asked quietly, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"They... don't know if he's gonna make it..." Kagome answered, as if she were afraid to see his reaction.

"And the driver?"

"We... don't know who it was. He sped off afterward..."

Inuyasha sank back down into his bed, forcing back the tears that threatened to show. He couldn't be weak, not in front of Kagome....

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Miroku paced the hallway angrily, wondering just what was going on in his friend's room. Meanwhile, Shippou was off somewhere on the phone, so Miroku had no one to vent at. 

That is, until a familiar female figure appeared down the hallway. Miroku quirked a brow for a second, wondering just what Sango was doing here. His expression turned into a scowl as she approached. Did she think she could on pretending? Did she really think he was that dumb.

She stopped in front of him, her head hung low in shame. Miroku just glared.

"I... I..." Sango offered shakily. Without warning she threw herself at the young boy, crying heavily into his chest. "I'M SO SORRY!!"

Miroku was confused. He wanted to yell at her, to throw her away, but all he could do was try to calm her. Why was that?

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An hour later, things had died down. Sango had fallen asleep in a chair, and Miroku was well on his way to dreamland too. Shippou was still no where to be found. 

The delicate silence of the room was broken by the creaking of hinges. Miroku straightened himself out and looked up to see both Kagome and Inuyasha step out.

"What's she doing here?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think... she's seeking forgiveness," Miroku answered. He was too stressed to care about much right now.

Inuyasha just shook his head. It wasn't the most important thing on his mind right now. "Where's my dad?"

"They moved him to Boston about two hours ago," Miroku said tiredly.

Inuyasha took a deep, calming breath. He then screamed, "FFFUUUUUUUCCCCKKKKK!!!"

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Sesshoumaru sat in a waiting room just outside the OR. His father's fate rested in the hands of the doctors, which made Sesshoumaru feel powerless. He sighed. Why did life have to be so unfair?

His thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and he saw his father being wheeled down the hall. A doctor approached Sesshoumaru and said, "We've done all we can do for him, all that's left is to wait."

Sesshoumaru just nodded, and paid only half his attention as he was told which room to go to. He thanked the doctor, nodded curtly, and rushed down the hall in the direction he was told.

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Inuyasha ran from the car out into the street towards the Boston Medical Center. He began to feel light-headed again and started to slump forward, but was caught by Miroku. 

"Take it easy!" scolded the black-haired youth, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"Thanks..." Inuyashsa said, before taking off again.

The lady at the desk seemed frightened by him, as he frantically asked for his father's room number. The lady told him the number and pointed in a direction, and before she could say anything else he was gone. 

Ignoring the feeling of nausea rising in his stomach, Inuyasha ran down the hallway. Taking note of the numbers on the wall, he took a sharp left, and ran straight into Sesshoumaru. Without saying anything, Inuyasha got up and began to walk around Sesshoumaru, but the older boy blocked him. "Let me go!" Inuyasha screamed.

Sesshoumaru just held him back. "Let me see my father!" Inuyasha screamed again, sending a wild punch towards Sesshoumaru's face. The older boy hardly flinched, and a trickle of blood started at the corner of his mouth. Inuyasha's expression turned to horror.

"You're too late," Sesshoumaru said, his eyes sinking, "you're just... too late..."

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A few weeks later, after all the services were held, Inuyasha was still grieving. He hardly spoke, didn't eat much, and pretty much floated around disinterestedly. One week, he just stopped getting out of bed.

"Hey Inu..." Miroku said, walking down the stairs, "Look... everyone's worried about you. They sent me here to try and talk you out of this slump." Inuyasha didn't acknowledge him.

"Come on, get out of bed."

"Shh..." Inuayasha hushed him, "Don't move, or you'll ruin the surprise."

Miroku was stunned. He couldn't bare to be there, staring at the broken shell of his best friend. He quietly left.

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Hours later, Inuyasha sat up. He scanned his room, like a stranger taking in someone's house for the first time. His eyes fell upon his old guitar- even through all of Kagome's persisting, he hadn't played it in a few years.

He stood up stiffly, ignoring the ache's in his back, and walked over to the instrument. Sitting in his old stool, he shifted through his old sheets of tablature from when he was first learning. "Ahh... this one looks about right." he said to himself.

He picked up the instrument, and after a few false starts the song came back to him. The melancholy chords reverberated off the walls, and the world seemed to slow down for him. He sang:

__

I look at you all,

see the love that lies sleeping,

While my guitar gently weeps,

I look at the floor, 

and I see it needs sweeping,

still my guitar gently weeps,

Kagome stood at the door, a silent tear running down her cheek.

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A/N: o.o Uber sad.... poor ending, I know... 

I am SO sorry this took so long! I started writing this on Monday, and had to fight through the heaviest writer's block I have ever known to get this out. Hopefully the next few chapters come easier. I know there may be a few mistakes, but I'm just so tired of this chapter that I'm just gonna post it as is.

If all goes according to plan, the next two chapters should be flashback. Meh. Anywho, be on the lookout for Chapter 20, which I've decided to screw originality and go for Achilles' Last Stand for. My apologies to Greywolf, but I really can't avoid it without merging the chapter with chapter 21, Dust in the Wind, which I seriously DON'T want to do. However, I am using Achilles' Last Stand in a manner completely different than my original plans.

Also, be on the lookout for info about the contest, as well as another chapter of Lost Prophet. That's all for now really... ja!


	20. Best of my Love

A/N: Well what do ya know, looks like I won't be needing Achilles' Last Stand after all... o.o

Ah well, sorry for the false alarm then. Anywho, I really only have a fuzzy idea of what I want to do here so... yeah. On with "Best Of My Love."

Disclaimer: I dun own it.

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Kinetics:

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Track 20: Best of my Love

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Inuyasha stared blankly for a second, fighting to regain a lost portion of himself. It was strange... knowing you're insane, but not being able to do anything about it. He wondered why he wasn't in an asylum yet...

The part of him that was him knew that Kagome would never let that happen. God, that gave him some depressing thoughts. What if he never recovered? Would things ever be the same? If he didn't, would Kagome still be around? He tried to sigh, but his mental blocks stopped him. Damn this was frustrating!

Still, it seemed he had found an outlet in music... He strummed a few chords experimentally, and began to play a slow, melancholy tune...

__

Every night, I'm lyin' in bed,

holdin' you close in my dreams,

thinkin' about all the things that we said,

fallin' apart at the seams,

We tried to talk it over,

but the words come out too rough,

I know you were trying, 

to give me the best of your love,

Beautiful faces, 

Loud empty places,

look at the way that we live,

Wastin' our time, 

on cheap talk and wine,

left us so little to give

that same old crowd was like a cold dark cloud,

that we could never rise above,

But here in my heart,

I give you the best of my love,

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Kagome was shocked. She still hadn't moved from her spot at the top of the stairs, for fear of scaring the troubled boy. She silently slinked into a sitting position on the top step, resting her head in her hands. Could this really be what it sounded like? She could hear Inuyasha, still singing, and wondered if he knew she was there.

__

Oh-oh-oh-ohh, sweet darlin',

You get the best of my love

Oh-oh-oh-ohh, sweet darlin',

you get the best of my love,

I'm goin' back in time,

and it's a sweet dream,

It was a quiet night, and I would be alright,

if I could go on sleeping,

Kagome shook her head furiously. She refused to believe that was it. The Inuyasha of old would never want her to give up. 

__

But every morning, I wake up and worry,

what's gonna happen today,

You see it your way, and I see it mine,

but we both see it slipping away,

You know we always had each other baby,

I guess that wasn't enough,

But here in my heart,

I give you the best of my love,

Yeah, here in my heart, babe,

You'll always have the best of my love...

Kagome smiled. She knew that in that broken shell of a man, somewhere, her Inuyasha was trying to say something. She got an idea.

Smiling, she stood and made her way down the stares. Kagome took a second to gaze at the young pseudo-guitarist. "That was never really my favorite Eagles song," she said.

She could tell there was something Inuyasha wanted to say to her, and it was killing him. She walked over to him, set the guitar aside, and sat in his lap, wrapping his arms around her loosely. It was a little painful for her, to sit there and feel none of the warmth she was used to, but she had to do it, for his sake.

After a few minutes, Kagome's silent prayers were answered, and Inuyasha's grip tightened ever so slightly. Smiling softly, she leaned into him and began singing.

__

I used to hurry a lot,

I used to worry a lot,

I used to stay out 'til the break of day,

Oh, I didn't get it,

it was high time I quit it,

I just couldn't carry on that way,

Ohh, I did some damage, I know it's true,

Didn't know I was so lonely, 'til I found you,

In the long run,

Inuyasha closed his eyes and rested his head on Kagome's shoulder. He was glad just to have her here with him, even if his world was crumbling. Wait... glad? He felt just a tad bit more confident, as if he had just won back part of himself. He was glad... And he wanted to sing.

__

(Inuyasha)

__

You know I don't understand,

why you don't treat yourself better,

Do the crazy things that you do,

(Kagome) Coz all the, 

debutants in Houston baby,

couldn't hold a candle to you,

(Both)

Did you do it for love?

Did you do it for money?

Did you do it for spite?

Did you think you had to, honey?

Who is gonna make it, we'll find out,

In the long run, (in the long)

I know we can take it, if our love,

is a strong one, (is a strong one)

(Kagome)

Well we're scared, but we ain't shakin',

(Inuyasha)

Kinda bent, but we ain't breakin'

(Both)

In the long run, 

ooh I want to tell you,

It's a long run,

In the long run,

In the long run,

(Inuyasha)

Gonna find out, f-f-f-find out,

Long, long, long run,

Long long long,

Oooh, run, run, run baby,

Run, run, run, baby,

Long, long, long

Ohh, my baby, It's a long run...

Kagome laughed, and smiled up at the young man. He attempted to smile back, but she could only notice a slight twitch at the corner's of his mouth. There was one other thing she had noticed too. The glint was back, very faint, but definitely back in his eyes. 

"Everything'll be alright, baby," she whispered. He just nodded, desperately holding on to that thought.

"Listen, it's getting late. Will you be alright by yourself?" Inuyasha looked hesitant a bit.

Kagome smiled softly and turned to leave, but a strong hand held her back. From behind her, she heard Inuyasha say one word. "Stay." 

The longing and the sorrow in his voice was almost too much for Kagome to bear. She gazed into his eyes, where the glint had gone from a small, weak happiness to an incredible want, swallowing up all of Kagome's soul.

"Stay," he said again. Kagome sighed, and hugged him fiercely.

"Of course I'll stay..." 

She smiled when she felt his arms wrapping around her, and gave him a gentle squeeze. And he squeezed back.

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A/N: WAY TOO SHORT!! . Ahh well, there should be some longer chapters on the way, starting with the next one ^.^

I spent a good ten minutes in my room last night, flipping through some of my CDs, and put on "Best of my Love" for the hell of it. Before the song had finished, I had already decided to scrap my Achilles' Last Stand/Dust in the Wind flashback chapters. Ah well, who knows, maybe they'll show up in Lost Prophet... o.o

So, yeah, now that the story's back on track, you can all expect to see chapter 21 by Tuesday. I'm not making any promises though... .


	21. Blown Away

A/N: Well, I sort of ran out of time planning for this one, so let's all hope like hell that I don't screw up! .

Anyway, yeah, if things go according to plan, this should be a fun one. ^.^

Disclaimer: Nope.... Still poor.

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Kinetics:

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Track 21: Blown Away

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Kagome looked up at the sleeping boy who held her, a smile covering her face as she took in the peaceful expression on his face. It amazed her that a boy as troubled as he could still be so at peace in his dreams...

Her wondering was cut short, however, by a familiar tingle in her gut, telling her that it was time to get up, quickly. Still, she didn't want him to wake up alone, so she shook him gently. "Inu-honey? Inu-hon, I'm gonna use the bathroom, but I'll be right back, so don't flip out, okay?"

As she was turning to leave, however, she felt a firm grip on her hand and heard a familiar command. "Stay."

"Inu.... As much as I would love to say here, I really don't have a choice here..."

Inuyasha nodded and let go. Kagome sighed, leaned over and gave him a kiss, saying, "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

By the time she had gotten to the stairs however, Kagome heard footsteps following her. She turned around to find Inuyasha standing behind her, a slightly confused look plastered to his face. She sighed, "Alright, come on, let's go."

Walking into the bathroom, Kagome took her respective seat, while Inuyasha sat nearby on the sink. Kagome turned to say something, and noticed hat he was staring intently at a section of the wallpaper on the other side of the room, a small blush creeping onto the part of his face she could see. She let out a small giggle, and when Inuyasha gave her an inquisitive look, she answered, "I think we reached the point where it's alright for you to see me pee a long time ago."

Inuyasha gave a weak chuckle, but Kagome felt as though he had been rolling on the floor laughing. She was reaching him, and it had her feeling elated. 

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About an hour later, the two lovers had found their way back into Inuyasha's room, Kagome sitting and watching intently as Inuyasha got himself familiar with his old guitar again.

"Hmmm... I have an idea," Kagome said, breaking the atmosphere. "How about I ask you some questions, and you play some songs that'll give me an answer. Sound cool to you?"

Inuyasha nodded. He wasn't too sure how well this would work, but there was no harm in trying, right?

"Alright, first question... hmm... let's make it easy. Who's your favourite movie character?"

Inuyasha smiled. This one was just too easy. 

__

James Dean! James Dean!

I know just what you mean, 

James Dean!, James Dean!,

You said it all so clean, 

And I know my life, 

Would look alright,

If I could see it on the silver screen...

Kagome was having trouble controlling her laughter. "You're a James Dean fan? I never would have guessed!"

This earned her a heated glare, but deep inside Inuyasha was laughing too. It was a pretty funny choice...

"Alright, next question... what are you thinking about me, right now?"

This one was a little harder... but he settled himself on a David Bowie classic.

__

I think I saw you, in an ice cream parlour,

Drinking milkshakes cold and long,

Smiling and waving, and looking so fine,

Don't think you knew you were in the song,

And it was cold, and it rained,

So I felt like an actor,

And I thought of Ma, and I wanted to get back there,

Your face, your race, the way that you talk,

I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk...

Kagome was stunned. She didn't know quite what to think. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, she said, "Well, I guess it's a good thing that we have more than five years for each other..."

Inuyasha smiled, and any doubts Kagome may have had were wiped away. "So... next question... how did you feel when we first got together?"

Inuyasha smiled again. Even though he wasn't quite properly equipped for it, he knew exactly what song he wanted to play.

__

I, I just died in your arms tonight,

Must've been something you said,

I just died in your arms tonight...

Kagome smiled, and then giggled a little bit. "I'm sorry, but although that was really, really sweet, it was just this much too cheesy," she said, indicating with her fingers.

"I have a thing for eighties music..." Inuyasha said quietly, and Kagome smiled. It was working, and they both knew it.

"So... next question... how do you feel about yourself right now?"

Inuyasha became just the slightest bit depressed with that thought, but fought it as he played.

__

Crazy...

Toys in the attic, I am crazy,

Truly gone fishing,

They must have taken my marbles away,

I am crazy...

Kagome began to sniffle softly, choking back tears. It's hurt her so much to se him like this...

"Don't cry..." he said, not only with comfort, but a small trace of pleading too. "I didn't mean to make you sad..."

"No, no, it's alright," she said, taking control of her tears, "It's alright to cry, sometimes. It helps keep you sane..."

Inuyasha looked to the ground in shame. Just what had that meant? 

"Okay, well, whatever... next question..." Kagome seemed doubtful for a second, as though contemplating whether or not her next question would be alright. However, with a self-assuring nod, she continued, "How did you feel, the day your father died?"

Inuyasha was hit with a flurry of thoughts. After a good fifteen minutes of silence, Inuysassha solemnly began to strum a simple tune.

__

So blown away by all the faces and dreamers,

I'm no weaker,

Than you dear,

I took a ride and I saw you inside,

A soul that lives at rest,

Are you done for?

And you had a lot to say, did I take it a different way?

Some will stand, and some will leap, but you, you'll do what you will,

Co'z I'm dreaming,

While you're leaving

Shine bright as I shine the light on a love, that took my best, best luck, girl,

Co'z you had a way to go,

Crawlin' away back home,

And this was the last crime, co'z I'm done,

You can take my good plans,

Co'z I'm in trouble now,

I hold the door for you to explore, as you stood, head in the clouds,

And I'm leaving,

Co'z you're dreaming

You clear the smoke, and learn how to float, arms high in the air, as I glare,

You took him away you see,

The person you'll never free,

And this was the last crime, co'z I'm done,

You can take my good plans,

Co'z I'm in trouble now...

Inuyasha's voice faltered ever so slightly as the last notes rang out. Kagome really didn't know what to say...

"Inu-honey... no more songs. I need you to talk to me. Do you think you're ready for that?"

"I don't know..." Inuyasha said, his voice hoarse and cracky, "I really don't know..."

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A/N: MUAHAHAHAH! I AM TEH EBIL! Augh, what an awesome cliffy... I'm so proud!

Actually, I do feel sorry for all of you readers, so I'm going to make a promise: The next chapter will be up for Thursday afternoon, Friday morning at the absolute latest! And it'll be fun too! See if you can't guess from the title...

Still slacking off about the contest, but don't worry, the way things are going this fic won't be finished until September .

Tune in next time for Track 22: Sexual Healing!! XD

Ja Ne!


	22. Changes

A/N: PSYCH!! AHAHAHA!! I got you all!

As you can tell by now, unless you're somewhat dense, this chapter is not, in fact, Sexual Healing. However, there will be some parts where you can see the inspiration behind my pointless little prank. ^.^

6/4/03: OMFG!! That last section of A/N was written 3 weeks ago! . I AM SOOOOO SORRY!! I swear to god, I almost COMPLETELY forgot about this fic! .

How, you ask? Ragnarok Online. I swear to god, It's virtual crack.

ANYWAY, I'm skipping school to try and get this chapter FINISHED, and you can expect my update schedule to go back to it's normal pace in the near future.

I AM SOOOOO SORRY!! .

Disclaimer: I am soo poor.... 

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Kinetics:

__

Track 22: Changes

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Inuyasha sighed. She had been gone or almost an hour, and he was starting to worry.

Suddenly, however, Kagome rushed in, looking more than a little flustered. "Oh my god, Inuyasha, I need your help. Oh god, oh god, hurry! Meet me in the car!"

And then she was gone again, leaving a slightly confused and very worried Inuyasha to scramble for his coat and shoes. 

He hopped into the car and Kagome sped off, displaying the driving skills of a Nascar racer on Speed. "What's going on?" He shouted over the roar of the engine.

"They found the driver! But let's just say things aren't going well..." she said, turning all of her focus to the road.

Inuyasha didn't know what to think. They had found the man who was responsible for his father's death... so why wasn't he happy?

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A few minutes later they were at the school. There was a large crowd near the entrance, and they were all gazing upwards. Inuyasha followed their gaze...

...and was shocked to find Jaken, a toady but somehow still popular guy, standing on the edge of the roof. 

Without thinking, Inuyasha started to sprint toward the school, leaping over the police tape effortlessly and ignoring the police officers calling after him. He made his way to the service stairwell and ran, as fast as he could. Turning the handle of the rooftop door, Inuyasha let out a loud curse. The door was locked! With a few good heaves, he managed to rip the door off of it's rusty hinges. Forgetting to take a moment to marvel at his own strength, Inuyasha ran in the direction of other young man.

Turning quickly on his heels as he grabbed the boy, Inuyasha used his momentum to fling the boy on to the center of the roof. "What the hell are you doing?!" He asked.

Jaken stood, looking down sorrowfully. "I don't deserve to live," he said simply, and began walking to the edge again.

"I won't let you. I can't let you throw your life away!"

"I killed your father! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" the boy asked sorrowfully, stopping to wait for an answer.

"Yes," Inuyasha answered at length, "but that doesn't mean I can't forgive you. There are a lot of people who would be sad with you gone! Don't you care about them?"

"I can't live with this guilt."

"I won't let you do it."

"Why? Why can't you just let me get on with it!"

"Because... I've seen too much death in my life. You can't solve problems like this with more bloodshed! You can't solve them at all.... you just need to live with it, and get on with life."

"I don't care what you say. There's nothing more for me here! It's time for me to go!" Jaken screamed, running as fast as he could towards Inuyasha. 

Time seemed to slow. Inuyasha watched helplessly as the slipped past him. Turning, he dove for the boy just as he saw him prepare to jump. In a blur of action, Inuyasha found himself holding an unconscious Jaken 30 above the pavement, his own body slipping slowly off the school building.

It was at this point when he realized his options. He could let Jaken fall and save himself, or he could hold on a little longer, until eventually they both fell. He realized the more logical solution, but her refused to do it. He couldn't simply let someone die, even if it was his father's killer. 

Iinuyasha was beginning to feel faint. He hadn't counted on the blood rushing to his head. In a few moments it'd be over, unless he could do something.

It was then that he noticed the open classroom window. What luck! It was only about three feet away! With a little luck, he could swing Jaken in!

Gathering his strength, Inuyasha began to swing Jaken towards the window. Inuyasha noticed a few cops staring at him with the crowd. Why weren't they helping? Fuckin' Pigs.

Inuyasha was finally able to fling Jaken into the window, and sighed relief as he crawled back up to the roof. He had saved a life.

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"Thank you so much," called the wavering voice of Jaken's half-hysterical mother. 

"It was nothing, really," Inuyaha said quietly, avoiding the press and bewildered people as he made his way to Kagome, who was waiting for him in the car. Jaken had been rushed to the hospital.

"So what's the story?" Inuyasha said as he hopped in, glad to be away from all the people.

Kagome sighed. "It seems that Jaken had been drinking that day, and was on his way to the movies in his dad's van and.... well, you know the rest."

Inuyasha sighed. "I'm just glad it's over..."

"Inuyasha?"

"Yes?"

"Earlier... when you played Five Years.... what exactly did you mean?"

"Kagome.... I meant that... well... You're so strong, and well... I meant that if it were the apocalypse, and everything were about to end... it wouldn't faze you. You're so much stronger than I am... you're what keeps me going. I need you. I guess I meant that... that I'll love you until the end of the world."

Kagome stopped the car, and turned to stare at him with tear-filled eyes. "I'm not stronger than you..." she said, and she lunged into his embrace. 

"Yes you are," he said softly, "You're strong enough to cry..."

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A/N: So happy, and yet so sad...

Aww...

Anywho, expect to see the next chapter, Star, before next Tuesday. . Unfortunately, I will be a little slow in updating until I can get my laptop, which isn't until around the 27th at the earliest. .

Ah well, whatever. Once again, I am SOOOOOO sorry this took so long, especially since I knew exactly what to do all along. I swear, It's Ragnarok. It's virtual crack, honestly!

Oh, BTW, I've started a small Yahoo Group thingy, so if you're interested and you have a Yahoo ID, go to:

and join up! So far the only thing there is one kickarse Fanart my friend did, but (hopefully) there'll be more soon! And if you don't have a Yahoo ID..... get one. It's free! ^.^


	23. Colour my World

A/N: Well, you know what they say... third time's a charm... -.-

Yeah, you guessed it. My previous 2 attempts to write this chapter more or less failed miserably. It's been just 2 months shy of a year since my last update, and damn I've been missing this. Blah, school.

So, yeah... story-wise. It's been a while since I've written anything other than research papers @.@ if any of you are interested in Frederic Chopin, I've got a wonderful little paper you might want to read. But yeah, I apologize in advance if my fanfiction writing starts to suck right now. I'm just.... blah. Also, I'm a little fuzzy with exactly what's happened in the story so far, and what I want to do with it, but reading back Iv'e realized how sophomoric my writing has been in the past. Hopefully i'll be able to show some improvement. xD

Well, enough of my rant. On with the much overdue next chapter of Kinetics!

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Kinetics: Chapter 23

Colour my World

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Inuyasha looked around nervously at the others standing in their rows. He had always known this day would come, but he never really realized how much he would fear it. It was still hard for him, even months later, to realize that his father wouldn't be here on his day.

Then again, it wasn't just _his _day. It was everyone's day. The entire senior student body, gathered together in their gowns, fighting off tears as they reminisced about the good old days. There were no misfits anymore. Not today, at least. Today they were united as one body. One class. The graduating class of 2003.

He looked absentmindedly up at the person speaking. The valedictorian, Emily Green, was reading her speech to the class with her usual strong, somewhat noble voice. He hadn't really known her that well, but he had always heard she was a bright girl. his gaze drifted out into the audience. He saw his brother in the third row, smiling and trying to be everything he could for Inuyasha on this important day. He saw Miroku's parents, good people, who had always offered their own support to him. 

He smiled as he saw Kikyou, her usual smile on her face, gazing intently at her daughter. He followed that gaze an challenged it with one of his own. He let himself chuckle inaudibly. He still couldn't believe how much patience she had with him during his whole 'Brian Wilson' stage. That was behind him now, though... thanks to her...

~*~

As time goes on, I realize

Just what you mean, to me

And now, now that your near,

Promise your love,

That I've waited to share,

And dreams, of our moments together,

Colour my world, with hope,

Of loving you,

~*~

Inuyasha melted into the familiar melody of his class' graduation song. The flute solo was coming up... his favourite part. He smiled as the drone of his classmates names being called off hit his ears. He reflected back on his years at Eisenhower High, the good times, the bad times.... the... Miroku dressing like a girl times.... time.... whatever.

The point of his musing was not to arise suspicion about his friends sexual orientation. The point was.... well, he didn't really have a point. but it sure as hell wasn't that.

But what did it matter now? Those days were behind him. They had lazed away their childhood, fought through adolescence, and now they were at the end of one journey. About to set foot on a whole new one. _It's like the old saying, _he mused, _'uncover one truth and reveal two mysteries.' _

There was one question still plaguing him though. What's next? Where did they go from here. He suposed the logical answer was "College" but that didn't really sum it up for him. He shrugged it off. As long as he had his friends, his brother and a woman who loved him, he figured he'd be alright.

And that was when a bold new idea hit him. He realized what he had to do now. He quickly formulated a plan, deciding that he would figure out all the small details later. He was so wrapped up in thought that he almost didn't hear his name called. He walked up to the stage, shake, nod accept, walk, just as they had practiced. Walking back to his place in line, he glance once more at his beloved. _Just wait, Kagome Higuarshi, _he thought with a smug smile, _I'm going to give you the greatest gift of your life._

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End Notes: Yes, yes, I know, it was too short. Be happy with what you're getting. If not for this lucky, random stroke of idea you'd still be waiting. Don't worry, I'm going to try to get back to updating at least once a month @.@ 

Once again, sorry for the wait, and I promise the next chapter will be longer! Gomen!


	24. Turn, Turn, Turn

A/N: Uhh, yeah, so I kno this is coming a bit late... again... what do you want, I'm a musician AND a writer! I can't possibly be on time! lol, anyways, without further adieu, I really think you're going to enjoy this conclusion to "Kinetics" Enjoy =)

Kinetics: Track 24

Turn, Turn, Turn,

So, they had finally graduated. Kagome smiled as she sat in her room, thinking about the events of the year and all the years past. She wondered what was going to happen now, with everyone going to different schools and everything. Miroku was going to Boston, to study music at Berklee, while Shippou was going to attend school at UCLA. She herself had been accepted to UNH, UMass and UConn, and was having trouble deciding where she really wanted to be and what she would do there. It was anyone's guess as to where Inuyasha was going. He was pretty secretive about it, even towards her. In fact, he had seemed pretty secretive about other things too recently. '_I wonder what he has up his sleeve...' _she thought with a smile. That boy was always surprising her.

Kagome looked at the clock on her wall. 7:28. In just over 2 and a half hours, she would be meeting all of her friends at the beach. They had planned a small party for themselves, while most of the graduating seniors were going to be getting together at the local game hall. She smiled softly to herself as she thought about what she was going to wear. She really wanted to dress to impress.

She decided on a soft blue, strapless, short dress with violet flower designs. Something about her reflection in the mirror made her smile again, knowing that she had just chosen the perfect attire for the occasion. With another glance at the clock, now showing a time of about 7:46, Kagome yawned and decided a short power nap was in order. After all, what else was she gonna do to kill 2 hours?

Inuyasha grinned as he looked over to his friends. Miroku and Shippou had come over for no particular reason and had just finished raiding his fridge. He briefly wondered what life was going to be like when they were all off at their separate colleges. Shrugging the idea off, he leaned over and thwackes Miroku, stealing the remote and flipping on Comedy Central.

"Cold man... cold..." was the only thing he heard from his friend.

"Deal with it," Inuyasha said with a grin.

"So, Inuyasha, what do you have planned for tonight?" asked a smirking Shippou.

"Uhh... the same beach party that we've been planning for the past 2 weeks?"

"No, besides that. Don't think I didn't notice the quirky-ness you've been exhibiting over the past few days."

"Yeah man, what's been up?"

Inuyasha gave a quick laugh, rolled his eyes and said, "You'll see."

The other two boys, not exactly satisfied with his answer but deciding it was good enough for now, turned their attention back to the TV.

To everything, turn, turn, turn,

There is a season, turn, turn, turn,

And a time, to every purpose,

Under heaven...

Sango sighed as she looked around her empty room. She thought back to all of the things she regretted... and decided there were too many. She Had been so blind for the longest time... and now all she felt was alone and empty. And yet... still, he had asked her to come. She did't know why, or how he had gotten everyone else to agree, or even if everyone had agreed.

She sighed again, trying to decide whether or not she would go. _'Life is too complicated,' _she thought, before getting up to grab some food. How is a girl supposed to think on an empty stomach?

A time to be born, a time to die,

A time to plant, a time to reap,

A time to kill, a time to heal,

A time to laugh, a time to weep...

Inuyasha grunted with the effort of lifting his grill into Miroku's father's truck. Shippou was out buying burgers and buns, while he and Miroku were left with the task of setting up.

"Man... I still can't believe I let you talk me into inviting Sango," Inuyasha said, with a slight huff of annoyance.

"Aww, come on man, we've been through this already. I thought we agreed that she deserved a second chance."

"Yeah, well, I'm still not too happy about the whole idea..."

"Cheer up man, there's stll a chance she might not even show. Besides, if she causes any trouble we can tie her up and set her adrift."

Inuyasha looked at his friend with raised brows for a second. "Man, you're evil."

"I know. Isn't it wonderful?"

Kagome yawned again as she gazed out her window. She checked the clock again. 9:45. "Man, waiting sucks," she thought aloud. Just as she was about to stand, however, she saw a familiar black car pull up to her house, an the glint of silver as the driver stepped out confirmed that her waiting had come to an end. She quickly threw on a pair of sandals, checked herself in the mirror one last time, and bolted down the stairs and out the front door before Inuyasha had a chance to knock. The downside to this situation was that they had ended up tangled together on her doorstep. Inuyasha laughed loudly.

"What's up, can't wait to see me?" He said with a cocky grin.

Kagome stood up and brushed herself off. "No,' she said with a soft smile, "Just thought you needed a good beating for making me wait."

"Making you wait? I'm ten minutes early!"

"Should've been fifteen."

"Man, if you weren't so sexy right now I'd be leaving," Inuyasha said with a laugh before finally standing up and taking Kagome's hand in his own. "C'mon, we're gonna be late if we stand here all night."

They walked over hand in hand to Inuyasha's car, and he opened the door for her like a proper gentleman, and yelled obscenities like an improper gentleman when he closed the door on his thumb. Sitting in her seat and watching as he turned the ignition with a wince, Kagome wondered how such a smart guy could be so incompetent. She laughed out loud and found a comfortable position, looking over at the driving boy.

"Y'know," Inuyasha said, glancing quickly at her and away from the deserted road, "that's a really nice dress you're wearing."

"Thanks, I knew you'd like it," she said with her usual bright smile.

"So you wore it for me, did you?"

"No, I just knew you'd like it."

A few minutes passed with neither saying much of anything. Kagome yawned and messed with the tuner, trying to find a song she liked. She stopped right at the beginning of one of her favourite 80's songs. She laughed and started singing along.

"Moving forward, using all my breath,

Making love to you was never second best,

I saw the world crashing all around your face,

Never really knowing it was always, mesh and lace,

I'll stop the world and melt with you,

I've seen the difference and its getting better,

All the time,

There's nothing you and I wont do,

I'll stop the world and melt with you,"

Inuyasha laughed at the song, and at the girls sitting besdie him singing it. He had to admit though, she had a pretty voice. She had a pretty everything. She was beautiful. _'Someday,' _he thought to himself, _'someday she's gonna be all mine.' _He started singing along with her.

"Dream of better lives, the kind which never hate,

Trapped in a state of imaginary grace,

I made a pilgrimage to save this human's race,

Never comprehending the race had long gone by,

I'll stop the world and melt with you,

You've seen the difference and it's getting better, all the time,

There's nothing you and I won't do,

I"ll stop the world and melt with you,"

Miroku sighed as he grabbed his jacket. He hadn't heard anything from Sango, which meant she proably wasn't going to be there. He didn't know why he even wanted her around in the first place. She had already proven her self to be a liar... yet... he still believed in second chances. He was far too nice a guy.

He shrugged it off as he stepped out the door and walked out to his father's car. After turning the ignition and starting off down the road, Miroku started cycling through the stations. He stopped when he got to a song that would be fun to sing along too. "I'll stop the world and melt with you..." he chirped in.

He pulled up to Shippou's house and honked twice. He didn't have to wait long for the red-haired youth to appear from the door and start walking towards the car. "Howdy," he said as the boy got in the passenger seat.

"Yea-lo. So what's the scoop, she gonna be there or what?"

"I dunno. She didn't call," Miroku answered with a shrug.

"Meh."

To everything, turn, turn, turn,

There is a season, turn, turn, turn,

And a time to every purpose,

Under heaven

Inuyasha laughed and took another sip off his soda. He had given up the juice of the barley, at least for a while, at the insistance of Kagome. He didn't really mind. It wasn't like he enjoyed getting drunk much anyway.

Miroku turned back to the burger's he was doing on the grill while Shippou searched his mind for another joke.

"Oh, I've got another one! How do you spot a trombone player at a playground?"

"I'm stumped," Kagome said with a smirk.

"He doesn't know how to use the slide and he can't swing!"

Inuyasha gave a quick laugh before resting his head on Kagome's shoulder. The group had started a fire and gathered around, sitting on blankets and huddling together for warmth. "Hnn..." he moaned into her shoulderblade. "Hey Kagome, I've got something I wanna show you..."

"Hnn... what is it..." Kagome replied sleepily.

"Heh, you'll see... come on, it's in the car."

'Well, this is it,' Inuyasha thought, _'it's do or die time...'_

"So, what'd you want to show me?" Kagome asked as she sat down next to Inuyasha in the backseat of his car.

"Kagome..." he started, staring calmly into her eyes, "you're the most wonderful person I've ever known. We're growing up now, Kagome. Everyone is getting ready to go off to school all around the country. I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'm going to lose you to mileage and cellphone minutes."

"Inuyasha... you don't have anything to worry about. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon..."

"But you are... you and I both know it. We've got this summer, but... what next?"

"I... don't know. Inuyasha, life isn't always meant to be certain..."

"Well, there's one thing I'm certain about... as long as I'm alive and your name is creeping around in the back of my mind, you'll always be the only girl for me." Inuyasha said, reaching into his pocket. "Kagome... I had you come here with me so I could give you this."

Kagome gasped as he pulled a velvet box out of his pocket. She knew she wasn't ready for this...

"Kagome...," he said, opening the box to reveal a silver band, "This is a promise ring. I'm giving it to you to promise that, as long as I know you and you know me, that one day I will marry you."

Kagome was awestruck. She didn't know exactly what to do... so she just smiled and fell forward, embracing him and saying "Yes, of course," and "I love you so much, Inuyasha."

They sat together in the back seat of Inuyasha's car, Kagome nearly asleep in is arms, until Miroku knocked on the window. Inuyasha reached over to roll the window down, and a plate with two burgers found it's way through. "Thanks," he said sleepily.

"No problem," Miroku said as he walked off. He'd half to ask how it went and jeer later.

Miroku smiled as he stepped into his home. He put his fathers keys on their place on the hanger and snuck quietly into the kitchen. Taking time to pour himself a glass of milk, he noticed the blinking red "1" on the answering machine. Curious, he hit play.

"Hey, uhh, Miroku... this is Sango... I know I haven't called in a while, but i jstu wanted to let you know I wasn't going to be at the thing tonight... but that I do want to hang out with you again sometime. Well... you still have my number, so give me a call sometime... unless you don't want to..."

Miroku smiled. He decided to let her think a little while longer before he called.

Kagome awoke in the arms of her loved one, still in his car parked on the beach. She looked over to find him wide away, a contemplative look in his eyes.

"Hey, Inu, hun... let's go now. Let's run away and get married and live a grand life. What are we waiting for?"

"Heh... you have no idea how much I'd love too... but we can't. I'm 19, jobless and broke. We can't make it out there yet, and you know it..."

"I know... but it's such a grand idea, ne?"

"Hn..."

"Well... what's next?"

"Well... first we think of a story to tell your mother about why you're not home yet, and then... we live our lives together. Day by day..."

"Hmm... I stll say we should elope," Kagome said with a giggle.

"Haha, don't worry. We'll have our time."

They stayed like that for another few hours, drifting in and out of sleep together. They were so looking forward to life.

A time to fill up, a time to break down,

A time to dance, a time to mourn,

A time to cast away stones,

A time to gather stones, together...

A/N: Yeah... so I guess that's it. Kinetics is over... did you ever think the day would come? I sure as hell didn't. Well, I think I'm gonna take a break for a while... then get started on my next fic. It'll be a Zelda fanfic, if you're interested... similar to this one, but... different. Ah well... I do plan to write a sequel for this fic, but... shrug

Well, it's been fun guys. I'll see you around.

Meh. I've got better things to do.


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